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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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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: cell · charge · chair · cap · capital · present

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. present — there
  3. cap — of ice
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. present — a gift
  8. cap — a lid
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. charge — in control
  13. cap — a hat
  14. present — the time now
  15. capital — a city
  16. chair — a leader
  17. capital — money
  18. chair — a professorship

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