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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: clip · charge · lean · sharp · capital · rock · fan · spell

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — in control
  5. sharp — clever
  6. clip — a video
  7. lean — to bend
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rock — music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rock — a stone
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. charge — electricity
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. spell — a short time
  21. clip — for paper
  22. lean — thin
  23. capital — a city
  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