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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. charge — in control
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — electricity
  6. march — music
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. march — the month
  10. capital — money
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ball — a great time
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. capital — a city
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. march — the month
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. charge — a price
  24. fine — all right

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