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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 120 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: rest · leaves · capital · charge · bowl · pass · band · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. band — a ring
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — in control
  5. season — in sport
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. season — of the year
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rest — what's left
  12. charge — a price
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. capital — money
  21. rest — a break
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pass — a permit
  24. band — a music group

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