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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: game · toast · charge · cell · lie · rule · spell · capital

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. charge — in control
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rule — government
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. charge — a price
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. game — a match
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rule — a law
  12. cell — a phone
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. charge — electricity
  17. spell — magic
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lie — to recline
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. spell — a short time
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. spell — letters

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