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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 120 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. track — to keep track
  3. charge — a price
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rash — hasty
  6. charge — in control
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. charge — electricity
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stock — shares
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. track — a path
  16. rash — a series
  17. chair — a leader
  18. stock — goods
  19. current — of water
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. track — a song
  22. current — electric
  23. capital — money
  24. current — happening now

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