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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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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: file · season · charge · capital · mouse · present · tear · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. season — of the year
  3. charge — in control
  4. season — in sport
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. tear — from crying
  7. present — a gift
  8. file — a tool
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. capital — a city
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pit — a hole
  16. present — the time now
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. present — there
  21. charge — a price
  22. pit — in a race
  23. charge — electricity
  24. capital — money

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