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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. spell — magic
  3. game — wild animals
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rest — what's left
  6. present — the time now
  7. charge — in control
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. game — a match
  11. rest — a break
  12. charge — electricity
  13. spell — a short time
  14. capital — a city
  15. present — there
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. present — a gift
  18. capital — money
  19. charge — a price
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spell — letters
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. scale — in music

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