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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 116 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. charge — electricity
  3. capital — a city
  4. tube — a container
  5. cap — a lid
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. current — happening now
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cap — of ice
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rule — a law
  16. tube — the underground
  17. charge — in control
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rule — government
  21. prune — to trim
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. charge — a price

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