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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.

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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: plane · bat · capital · prune · charge · snap · kid · chest

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. chest — a box
  3. capital — money
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. charge — in control
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. prune — to trim
  12. plane — a tool
  13. kid — to tease
  14. charge — electricity
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bat — the animal
  19. snap — to click
  20. capital — a city
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. charge — a price

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