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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: shower · field · board · season · press · charge · capital · sharp

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. field — a subject
  5. shower — rain
  6. season — of the year
  7. press — to push
  8. board — to get on
  9. field — farmland
  10. charge — electricity
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. field — for sport
  13. charge — in control
  14. board — a committee
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. capital — a city
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. charge — a price
  19. shower — to wash
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — newspapers
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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