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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. ball — a great time
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fork — in a road
  7. charge — in control
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rule — government
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wound — an injury
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. present — a gift
  16. rule — a law
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. ball — a dance
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. capital — a city
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — money

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