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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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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: charge · mug · capital · sharp · snap · content · wave · arm

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mug — a cup
  3. capital — money
  4. charge — electricity
  5. capital — a city
  6. content — happy
  7. charge — a price
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. snap — to click
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. charge — in control
  19. sharp — clever
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. content — the amount
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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