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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.

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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: stick · capital · charge · kid · lie · mate · tear · track

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mate — a friend
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. charge — a price
  7. kid — child
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mate — a partner
  12. track — to keep track
  13. kid — to tease
  14. tear — to rip
  15. track — a path
  16. capital — a city
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tear — from crying
  20. track — a song
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. capital — money
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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