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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. capital — a city
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pop — music
  6. club — for golf
  7. court — of law
  8. tube — a container
  9. charge — in control
  10. pop — soda
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pop — to visit
  17. capital — money
  18. degree — from a university
  19. club — a group
  20. court — of a king
  21. club — for dancing
  22. court — for sport
  23. charge — a price
  24. bark — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com