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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.

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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 · ruler · craft · spring · capital · kid · mark · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. craft — boats
  4. capital — money
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mark — a grade
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. spring — the season
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kid — to tease
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. mark — a trace
  16. kid — child
  17. charge — in control
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. charge — a price
  20. spring — a coil
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. craft — a skill
  23. capital — a city
  24. spring — of water

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