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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. object — an aim
  3. capital — a city
  4. charge — a price
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. roll — a list
  10. object — a thing
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. object — to protest
  17. pound — a weight
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. game — wild animals
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. roll — a cake
  22. charge — in control
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. date — the fruit

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