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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.

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: cold · charge · mark · present · rock · capital · safe · spring

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. rock — music
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. spring — of water
  9. charge — in control
  10. spring — a coil
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. capital — money
  16. present — there
  17. rock — a stone
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. charge — electricity
  20. spring — the season
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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