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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. charge — electricity
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. charge — a price
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. charge — in control
  15. kick — in football
  16. capital — money
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. spring — of water
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. capital — a big letter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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