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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: temple · wake · capital · mark · ground · cell · charge · hand

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. charge — in control
  7. cell — in biology
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. capital — a city
  10. mark — a grade
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mark — a trace
  15. charge — electricity
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. charge — a price
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. capital — money
  21. hand — help
  22. ground — the earth
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mark — to pay attention

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