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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: fork · mate · capital · wax · rule · charge · snap · season

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. charge — a price
  4. rule — a law
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. capital — a city
  11. wax — to grow
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. charge — electricity
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. season — in sport
  18. rule — government
  19. charge — in control
  20. season — of the year
  21. mate — a friend
  22. capital — money
  23. mate — a partner
  24. season — to add flavour

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