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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 124 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — a price
  3. degree — from a university
  4. track — a path
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. track — a song
  10. track — to keep track
  11. drill — a practice
  12. degree — an amount
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rock — a stone
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. squash — to crush
  23. charge — electricity
  24. rock — music

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