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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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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: bowl · capital · fork · wound · cap · charge · chest · wind

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. charge — a price
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. capital — money
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. cap — a hat
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — electricity
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. wound — an injury
  24. capital — a city

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