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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · bound · scale · shower · capital · coach · stand · charge

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. scale — in music
  4. shower — to wash
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. scale — size or range
  10. game — a match
  11. capital — money
  12. stand — to bear
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bound — obliged
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. capital — a city
  22. shower — rain
  23. bound — certain
  24. game — wild animals

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