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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wake — a trail
  6. capital — a city
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. capital — money
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ground — a position
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. charge — in control
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. ground — crushed
  24. charge — electricity

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