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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. spring — the season
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pit — a hole
  7. chip — to eat
  8. charge — a price
  9. spring — a coil
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. capital — money
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. swing — to play on
  15. can — a tin
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pit — in a race
  18. spring — of water
  19. charge — in control
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. snap — to click
  23. swing — music
  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