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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: pitcher · bound · temple · charge · capital · mine · mark · perch

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mark — a grade
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bound — tied together
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bound — obliged
  10. capital — money
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. charge — in control
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mark — a trace
  15. capital — a city
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bound — certain
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. charge — a price
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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