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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. club — for dancing
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wound — an injury
  5. charge — electricity
  6. capital — a city
  7. club — a group
  8. fall — to drop
  9. deal — to handle
  10. club — for golf
  11. charge — in control
  12. track — a path
  13. charge — a price
  14. wound — an injury
  15. track — to keep track
  16. press — newspapers
  17. capital — money
  18. press — a publisher
  19. track — a song
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. press — to push
  23. fall — the season
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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