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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 · mate · chair · shower · deal · wound · race · charge

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mate — a friend
  3. capital — money
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wound — an injury
  7. chair — a leader
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. charge — electricity
  10. race — humankind
  11. shower — rain
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. capital — a city
  18. mate — a partner
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. charge — in control
  23. wound — an injury
  24. charge — a price

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