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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 · trunk · capital · bass · court · sharp · nail · march

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bass — the fish
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. charge — in control
  10. capital — money
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bass — low music
  17. charge — a price
  18. march — the month
  19. court — of a king
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. capital — a city
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. charge — electricity

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