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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. key — for a lock
  9. charge — in control
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. key — the most important part
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. mine — for digging
  20. capital — a city
  21. key — in music
  22. charge — a price
  23. capital — money
  24. charge — electricity

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