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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. capital — money
  3. board — to get on
  4. cold — an illness
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. board — a committee
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. charge — electricity
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mug — a face
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. charge — in control
  21. mug — to rob
  22. capital — a city
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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