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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · fine · root · cell · capital · object · drill · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cell — in biology
  4. object — an aim
  5. capital — a city
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. drill — the tool
  9. charge — in control
  10. drill — a practice
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bass — low music
  13. fine — high quality
  14. object — a thing
  15. charge — a price
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. object — to protest
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. fine — all right
  22. drill — army training
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bass — the fish

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