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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pop — soda
  5. race — a contest
  6. charge — in control
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pop — music
  9. mug — a face
  10. ball — a dance
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. race — humankind
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bat — the animal
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. charge — electricity
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pop — to visit
  22. capital — money
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. capital — a city

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