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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. capital — money
  4. spell — letters
  5. game — a match
  6. foot — a measure
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lie — to recline
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rule — a law
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — government
  14. capital — a city
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. charge — electricity
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. ball — a great time
  20. spell — magic
  21. charge — in control
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spell — a short time
  24. game — a kind of play

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