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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 120 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rock — music
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. file — a tool
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. capital — money
  8. rock — a stone
  9. charge — a price
  10. track — a path
  11. file — a line of people
  12. squash — to crush
  13. file — a document
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. prune — to trim
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. kid — to tease
  20. prune — to trim
  21. charge — in control
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. capital — a city
  24. squash — the sport

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