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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. charge — in control
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chair — a leader
  5. charge — a price
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. game — a match
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. game — a kind of play

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