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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: temple · clip · charge · cold · bay · squash · club · capital

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. clip — for paper
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. capital — a city
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. clip — to cut
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. club — for dancing
  14. charge — electricity
  15. club — a group
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cold — not warm
  18. clip — a video
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. squash — to crush
  21. club — for golf
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. capital — money
  24. squash — the sport

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