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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. charge — in control
  3. stock — goods
  4. press — to push
  5. key — the most important part
  6. game — a match
  7. key — for a lock
  8. press — newspapers
  9. capital — money
  10. charge — a price
  11. band — a ring
  12. bulb — for light
  13. capital — a city
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. key — in music
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bulb — for light
  18. game — wild animals
  19. band — a music group
  20. stock — shares
  21. press — a publisher
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. charge — electricity

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