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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: mouse · capital · prune · chest · toast · charge · firm · file

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. toast — bread
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. charge — electricity
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. firm — a company
  7. chest — of your body
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. charge — in control
  13. capital — a city
  14. file — a tool
  15. capital — money
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. file — a line of people
  18. firm — decided
  19. chest — a box
  20. firm — steady
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. charge — a price
  23. file — a document
  24. prune — to trim

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