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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. ground — crushed
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bear — the animal
  7. charge — a price
  8. hand — in cards
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. capital — money
  11. bear — the animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. capital — a city
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. foot — a measure
  19. ground — a position
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — part of the body

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