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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. charge — in control
  3. chip — for betting
  4. ground — crushed
  5. perch — the fish
  6. charge — a price
  7. ground — the earth
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cap — of ice
  11. capital — a city
  12. charge — electricity
  13. ground — a position
  14. capital — money
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. scale — size or range
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. scale — in music
  21. cap — a hat
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. perch — for a bird

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