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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. deal — a big deal
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. capital — money
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fine — all right
  8. deal — to handle
  9. charge — electricity
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rock — music
  13. capital — a city
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. charge — in control
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. charge — a price
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. capital — a big letter

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