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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. cell — a phone
  11. march — the month
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. capital — a city
  16. cell — in biology
  17. march — music
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. capital — money
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. march — the month
  22. charge — a price
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. charge — in control

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