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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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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: content · foot · bound · capital · bay · mine · charge · perch

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. capital — a city
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. charge — a price
  6. bound — certain
  7. capital — money
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mine — for digging
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. content — the amount
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. content — happy
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. foot — a measure
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. charge — electricity

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