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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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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: kid · band · fine · charge · court · cap · stick · board

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cap — a lid
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — a price
  7. court — for sport
  8. cap — of ice
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. band — a ring
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. band — a music group
  17. kid — child
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. court — of law
  20. fine — all right
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. kid — to tease
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. court — of a king

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