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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. capital — money
  5. charge — a price
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bat — the animal
  8. present — the time now
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. file — a tool
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. charge — in control
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. capital — a city
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. file — a document
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bulb — for light

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