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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: charge · game · capital · wave · last · wake · pitcher · roll

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. capital — a city
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. last — finally
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — a price
  9. game — a match
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. last — to go on
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. roll — a cake
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — electricity
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. capital — money
  22. last — final
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wave — of the sea

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