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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: lie · root · capital · mark · charge · game · cold · racket

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mark — a grade
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. capital — money
  7. cold — not warm
  8. charge — in control
  9. cold — an illness
  10. capital — a city
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. game — wild animals
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. lie — to recline
  16. game — a match
  17. root — of a word
  18. charge — a price
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. charge — electricity

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