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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 120 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: wax · chip · mate · net · march · charge · temple · capital

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. march — music
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. net — in sport
  5. chip — for betting
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. net — for catching
  9. march — the month
  10. charge — in control
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mate — a friend
  13. charge — electricity
  14. chip — to eat
  15. charge — a price
  16. capital — a city
  17. wax — to grow
  18. net — after costs
  19. capital — money
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mate — to breed
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. march — the month
  24. temple — a place of worship

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