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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. track — to keep track
  3. can — a tin
  4. capital — money
  5. bass — the fish
  6. track — a song
  7. bass — low music
  8. can — a tin
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. track — a path
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. charge — in control
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. capital — a city
  17. dip — to sink
  18. charge — a price
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. hide — animal skin

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