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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. face — to confront
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. squash — to crush
  5. hand — in cards
  6. can — to be able to
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. face — part of the head
  9. current — happening now
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. capital — money
  12. charge — a price
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. charge — electricity
  15. face — to point toward
  16. squash — the sport
  17. charge — in control
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. current — electric
  20. can — a tin
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. can — a tin
  23. hand — help
  24. current — of water

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