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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bear — the animal
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. file — a line of people
  8. capital — a city
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. file — a tool
  17. charge — electricity
  18. capital — money
  19. charge — a price
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pop — to visit
  24. charge — in control

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