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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: charge · cold · season · ball · object · nail · capital · stand

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. charge — in control
  7. season — in sport
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. capital — money
  11. stand — to bear
  12. season — of the year
  13. cold — not warm
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. capital — a city
  17. cold — an illness
  18. object — an aim
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — a thing

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