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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: charge · fine · date · wind · capital · game · press · club

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. club — for dancing
  3. capital — money
  4. wind — moving air
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. charge — electricity
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. club — for golf
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fine — high quality
  14. game — a match
  15. wind — moving air
  16. charge — a price
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. date — the fruit
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. club — a group
  22. capital — a city
  23. fine — all right
  24. press — to push

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