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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: bat · deal · ball · rush · fall · charge · tube · capital

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fall — the season
  4. tube — a container
  5. charge — electricity
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fall — to drop
  8. capital — a city
  9. deal — to handle
  10. capital — money
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bat — the animal
  17. charge — in control
  18. fall — to drop
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ball — a great time
  24. charge — a price

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