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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: scale · fine · last · capital · charge · band · safe · file

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. file — a tool
  3. band — a music group
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. scale — size or range
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. fine — high quality
  9. last — final
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — electricity
  13. file — a line of people
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. scale — in music
  16. band — a ring
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. last — finally
  22. charge — a price
  23. last — to go on
  24. file — a document

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