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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. charge — a price
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. charge — in control
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. land — to come down
  13. pass — a permit
  14. capital — money
  15. land — a country
  16. object — a thing
  17. wind — moving air
  18. object — to protest
  19. capital — a city
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. object — an aim
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. capital — a big letter

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