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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wind — moving air
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rest — a break
  6. charge — a price
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mug — to rob
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. plane — a tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. rest — what's left
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. clip — a video
  19. capital — a city
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mug — a cup
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. mug — a face
  24. saw — the tool

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