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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. drill — army training
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pound — a weight
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. row — a line
  9. drill — the tool
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. charge — a price
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. row — to paddle
  16. charge — in control
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. charge — electricity
  20. sharp — clever
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. sharp — with an edge

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