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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. season — of the year
  6. charge — electricity
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. charge — in control
  10. capital — a city
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. charge — a price
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pitch — completely
  19. season — in sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. capital — money
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. season — to add flavour

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