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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: stand · capital · rash · fork · rock · rest · charge · net

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. charge — electricity
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. charge — a price
  7. capital — money
  8. net — for catching
  9. charge — in control
  10. rest — a break
  11. net — in sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fork — in a road
  14. rest — what's left
  15. net — after costs
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stand — to bear
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — music
  21. rash — a series
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. capital — a city

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