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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: snap · cell · toast · land · can · charge · capital · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mug — a cup
  4. capital — money
  5. toast — bread
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — a price
  13. snap — to click
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mug — a face
  16. can — to be able to
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. can — a tin
  21. capital — a city
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. can — a tin
  24. land — ground

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