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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 116 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. capital — money
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cold — not warm
  5. content — the amount
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. capital — a city
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rash — hasty
  12. ball — a great time
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. content — happy
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. lie — to recline
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. march — music
  20. charge — a price
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cold — an illness
  24. charge — electricity

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