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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rash — a series
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wound — an injury
  5. capital — a city
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. charge — in control
  9. spell — a short time
  10. scale — size or range
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. spell — letters
  14. rash — hasty
  15. board — to get on
  16. spell — magic
  17. charge — electricity
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. scale — in music
  23. charge — a price
  24. deal — to handle

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