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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. charge — electricity
  4. track — a path
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. track — a song
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. charge — a price
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. club — a group
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. club — for golf
  15. mark — a trace
  16. game — wild animals
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. track — to keep track
  22. capital — money
  23. charge — in control
  24. game — a match

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