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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 · rest · game · rash · net · bulb · bowl · capital

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. charge — a price
  3. capital — money
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. capital — a city
  6. rest — what's left
  7. net — for catching
  8. game — a match
  9. net — in sport
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. rash — a series
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. game — wild animals
  15. net — after costs
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rash — hasty
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. charge — in control
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rest — a break

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