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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. file — a document
  4. capital — a city
  5. charge — a price
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. charge — in control
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. capital — money
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. band — a music group
  14. last — to go on
  15. file — a line of people
  16. hand — help
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. last — final
  19. charge — electricity
  20. hand — in cards
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. file — a tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. band — a ring

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