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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. charge — electricity
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. charge — a price
  6. mate — a friend
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. land — ground
  9. drill — army training
  10. charge — in control
  11. capital — a city
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. capital — money
  17. land — a country
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. land — to come down
  24. branch — a division

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