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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. pop — to visit
  3. charge — electricity
  4. face — to confront
  5. mate — a partner
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. club — for golf
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. face — to point toward
  11. capital — money
  12. club — for dancing
  13. can — to be able to
  14. mate — a friend
  15. can — a tin
  16. pop — soda
  17. club — a group
  18. capital — a city
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pop — music
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. charge — a price
  23. can — a tin
  24. charge — in control

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