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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · charge · capital · bat · content · prune · hide · stand

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. content — happy
  3. charge — electricity
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. content — the amount
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. charge — a price
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stand — to bear
  17. object — a thing
  18. capital — money
  19. charge — in control
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. capital — a big letter
  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