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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. charge — in control
  4. capital — money
  5. stand — to bear
  6. charge — electricity
  7. last — final
  8. cell — a phone
  9. last — finally
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. net — after costs
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. squash — the sport
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. capital — a city
  20. charge — a price
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cell — in biology
  23. last — to go on
  24. nail — on a finger

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