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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. object — to protest
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. charge — a price
  6. present — the time now
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. capital — a city
  12. current — electric
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. current — of water
  15. present — there
  16. wind — moving air
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. wind — moving air
  20. charge — electricity
  21. present — a gift
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. current — happening now
  24. capital — money

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