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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. current — of water
  3. court — for sport
  4. tube — the underground
  5. last — finally
  6. capital — a city
  7. drill — a practice
  8. last — to go on
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. last — final
  11. charge — a price
  12. craft — boats
  13. drill — the tool
  14. current — happening now
  15. craft — a skill
  16. court — of a king
  17. capital — money
  18. tube — a container
  19. current — electric
  20. charge — in control
  21. court — of law
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. drill — army training

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