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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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 big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. charge — a price
  4. press — to push
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. lean — to bend
  7. current — electric
  8. bore — to drill
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. charge — in control
  11. net — in sport
  12. lean — thin
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. capital — money
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bore — to tire
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  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