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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. saw — the tool
  3. key — for a lock
  4. capital — money
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. key — in music
  9. pit — in a race
  10. capital — a city
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. content — the amount
  14. face — to point toward
  15. content — happy
  16. pit — a hole
  17. saw — the tool
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. face — part of the head
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. face — to confront
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. key — the most important part

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