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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bound — tied together
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. present — there
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bound — certain
  12. game — wild animals
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — in control
  15. chest — of your body
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. capital — money
  18. game — a match
  19. bound — obliged
  20. capital — a city
  21. chest — a box
  22. charge — electricity
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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