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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 116 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: cap · cold · season · band · march · pitcher · deal · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cold — not warm
  3. march — the month
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. season — in sport
  6. march — the month
  7. band — a music group
  8. charge — in control
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cold — an illness
  12. charge — electricity
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. deal — to handle
  20. band — a ring
  21. march — music
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. deal — a big deal

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