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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · bound · mine · key · capital · cold · cabinet · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mine — for digging
  6. charge — in control
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. capital — money
  11. key — in music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. key — for a lock
  17. capital — a city
  18. key — the most important part
  19. charge — a price
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cold — not warm

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