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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bore — to drill
  7. file — a line of people
  8. capital — a city
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. ball — a dance
  11. row — a line
  12. file — a document
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bore — to tire
  16. file — a tool
  17. capital — money
  18. charge — electricity
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. row — to paddle
  22. charge — a price
  23. fall — to drop
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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