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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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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: lash · march · roll · capital · fine · rule · cold · charge

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. march — music
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. rule — government
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. charge — a price
  10. roll — a list
  11. march — the month
  12. rule — a law
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. charge — in control
  15. fine — high quality
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. roll — a cake
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fine — all right
  22. capital — a city
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. cold — an illness

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