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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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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: charge · jam · capital · kid · bay · wind · game · vault

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. charge — a price
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kid — child
  11. capital — a city
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. kid — to tease
  23. charge — in control
  24. wind — moving air

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