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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. charge — a price
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. charge — in control
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bat — the animal
  8. capital — a city
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. charge — electricity
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. sharp — clever
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. capital — money
  24. chair — a professorship

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