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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 124 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. charge — a price
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. charge — in control
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mine — for digging
  10. chair — a leader
  11. charge — electricity
  12. root — of a word
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. root — of a plant
  16. capital — a city
  17. bass — low music
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bass — the fish
  20. capital — money
  21. pound — a weight
  22. lean — thin
  23. root — the cause
  24. bass — the instrument

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