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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · ball · land · capital · fan · object · spring · charge

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. object — a thing
  3. capital — a city
  4. charge — a price
  5. capital — money
  6. spring — of water
  7. land — to come down
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. charge — in control
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. land — a country
  14. object — an aim
  15. charge — electricity
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. object — to protest
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. spring — a coil
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spring — the season

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