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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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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: rest · charge · capital · swing · rock · present · net · bore

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. charge — electricity
  3. swing — to play on
  4. present — a gift
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rock — music
  8. present — there
  9. capital — a city
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — to tire
  12. charge — in control
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. charge — a price
  15. net — after costs
  16. rest — a break
  17. present — the time now
  18. swing — in golf
  19. net — in sport
  20. capital — money
  21. net — for catching
  22. swing — music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rock — a stone

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