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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: capital · charge · drill · board · bass · chest · cabinet · staff

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bass — low music
  8. staff — a stick
  9. board — to get on
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. chest — of your body
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. chest — of your body
  15. charge — in control
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. drill — the tool
  18. board — a committee
  19. chest — a box
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. drill — a practice
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. board — a flat piece

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