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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: rule · capital · charge · dip · pit · hand · mark · firm

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. charge — electricity
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. capital — a city
  5. hand — in cards
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pit — a hole
  9. rule — a law
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. charge — in control
  14. capital — money
  15. pit — in a race
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rule — government
  18. charge — a price
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — steady
  21. hand — help
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mark — a grade
  24. firm — decided

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