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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: pound · capital · charge · squash · kid · game · lie · date

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. charge — in control
  3. squash — to crush
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. date — the fruit
  7. capital — money
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. squash — the sport
  17. game — a match
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — a price
  20. lie — to recline
  21. capital — a city
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. kid — to tease

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