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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: bear · file · hand · charge · capital · swing · last · plane

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. last — finally
  4. bear — the animal
  5. file — a tool
  6. swing — music
  7. capital — a city
  8. swing — to play on
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — in control
  11. capital — money
  12. swing — in golf
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hand — help
  18. plane — a tool
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. charge — electricity
  21. last — final
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. file — a document
  24. last — to go on

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