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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.

Make a worksheet

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: racket · capital · spell · charge · kid · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. game — wild animals
  4. charge — electricity
  5. spell — letters
  6. capital — a city
  7. spell — magic
  8. charge — a price
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kid — child
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. capital — money
  16. kid — to tease
  17. spell — a short time
  18. charge — in control

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