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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: straw · mark · charge · capital · can · staff · game · patient

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. staff — a stick
  4. capital — money
  5. mark — a trace
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. capital — a city
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. charge — in control
  13. game — a match
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. staff — employees
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. charge — a price
  20. staff — employees
  21. game — wild animals
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mark — a grade
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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