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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 116 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: perch · charge · rule · cell · shower · mark · fan · capital

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rule — government
  4. cell — in biology
  5. capital — money
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. capital — a city
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cell — a phone
  13. charge — a price
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rule — a law
  16. perch — the fish
  17. charge — in control
  18. shower — rain
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. shower — to wash
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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