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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.

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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: land · charge · firm · fine · capital · march · toast · cell

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. march — music
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. march — the month
  5. fine — all right
  6. firm — a company
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. firm — steady
  9. land — ground
  10. cell — a phone
  11. land — to come down
  12. charge — in control
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cell — in biology
  15. firm — decided
  16. charge — electricity
  17. capital — a city
  18. march — the month
  19. charge — a price
  20. land — a country
  21. toast — bread
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. capital — money

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