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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. charge — a price
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. capital — money
  7. charge — in control
  8. season — of the year
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. stock — shares
  13. saw — the tool
  14. charge — electricity
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — a list
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. saw — the tool
  23. season — in sport
  24. stock — goods

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