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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 116 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: hand · charge · fall · fork · capital · current · club · season

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. season — of the year
  3. hand — in cards
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. current — happening now
  8. season — in sport
  9. club — a group
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. hand — help
  12. fork — in a road
  13. current — electric
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. current — of water
  17. capital — a city
  18. charge — electricity
  19. club — for dancing
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. charge — in control
  22. fall — the season
  23. capital — money
  24. club — for golf

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