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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: mug · charge · sharp · lie · band · capital · swing · track

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. swing — in golf
  2. capital — money
  3. sharp — clever
  4. track — a song
  5. lie — to recline
  6. charge — a price
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. track — a path
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. swing — to play on
  11. capital — a city
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mug — a face
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mug — to rob
  19. band — a ring
  20. swing — music
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mug — a cup
  23. band — a music group
  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