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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.

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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: wind · charge · capital · snap · chip · perch · bass · rash

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. rash — hasty
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. charge — electricity
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bass — low music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. charge — in control
  15. rash — a series
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. charge — a price
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. bass — the fish
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wind — moving air

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