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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: field · charge · capital · saw · board · rock · rash · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. charge — a price
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rash — a series
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. capital — money
  9. board — a committee
  10. rash — hasty
  11. board — to get on
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. charge — electricity
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. charge — in control
  19. field — a subject
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  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