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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. capital — money
  3. board — to get on
  4. charge — electricity
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fall — the season
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. board — a committee
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. club — for dancing
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. fall — to drop
  15. charge — a price
  16. file — a tool
  17. club — a group
  18. pass — a permit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. club — for golf

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