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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: calf · bat · scale · toast · season · charge · capital · mine

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. charge — a price
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. scale — size or range
  10. toast — bread
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. capital — money
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. season — of the year
  18. charge — electricity
  19. capital — a city
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. scale — in music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. charge — in control

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