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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. saw — the tool
  6. march — music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. march — the month
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. charge — in control
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. charge — a price
  20. capital — money
  21. bass — low music
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. march — the month
  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