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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. capital — money
  3. charge — electricity
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. row — to paddle
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. capital — a city
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. game — a match
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. vault — a safe
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. snap — to click
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. root — the cause
  19. charge — a price
  20. root — of a plant
  21. game — wild animals
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. row — a line
  24. root — of a word

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