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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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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: clip · bear · capital · chair · rest · charge

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. 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. charge — in control
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rest — a break
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. capital — money
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bear — the animal
  16. charge — a price
  17. chair — a leader
  18. 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