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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bulb — for light
  3. charge — in control
  4. capital — a city
  5. charge — electricity
  6. land — to come down
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. saw — the tool
  9. charge — a price
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. tube — a container
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. firm — steady
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. saw — the tool
  16. firm — decided
  17. capital — money
  18. bulb — for light
  19. land — a country
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. tube — the underground
  23. firm — a company
  24. snap — to click

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