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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. capital — money
  4. spring — the season
  5. bank — for money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. net — for catching
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. net — after costs
  12. charge — a price
  13. bank — for money
  14. net — in sport
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cue — a signal
  18. charge — in control
  19. capital — a city
  20. spring — of water
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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