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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. chip — to eat
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. field — for sport
  5. scale — size or range
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. capital — a city
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. capital — money
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. charge — a price
  15. scale — in music
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. charge — in control
  18. chip — for betting
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. field — a subject
  22. charge — electricity
  23. field — farmland
  24. lean — thin

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