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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 120 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: last · trunk · content · hand · rule · capital · craft · charge

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. capital — a city
  3. charge — in control
  4. hand — help
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. content — the amount
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. craft — boats
  13. rule — a law
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. content — happy
  16. craft — a skill
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. last — to go on
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. capital — money
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rule — government
  24. craft — a handicraft

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