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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: capital · wave · clip · charge · temple · toast · stock · cue

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. capital — money
  7. stock — shares
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cue — for pool
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — bread
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stock — goods
  16. clip — to cut
  17. capital — a city
  18. cue — a signal
  19. charge — in control
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. charge — a price
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wave — of the sea

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