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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. capital — a city
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. root — the cause
  13. charge — a price
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pit — a hole
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pit — in a race
  18. last — final
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. root — of a word
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. capital — money
  23. charge — in control
  24. capital — a big letter

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