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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pop — music
  4. kid — child
  5. capital — money
  6. land — to come down
  7. game — a match
  8. land — a country
  9. pop — soda
  10. kid — to tease
  11. charge — electricity
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. land — ground
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. pop — to visit
  17. face — part of the head
  18. suit — clothes
  19. face — to confront
  20. capital — a city
  21. game — wild animals
  22. suit — to fit
  23. face — to point toward
  24. suit — in cards

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