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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wound — an injury
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. charge — in control
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fine — all right
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. capital — money
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wound — an injury
  13. row — to paddle
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ball — a dance
  19. charge — a price
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fall — the season
  22. row — a line
  23. fine — high quality
  24. capital — a city

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