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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · fan · clip · rash · charge · capital · drill · court

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. drill — a practice
  3. clip — a video
  4. drill — army training
  5. court — of law
  6. clip — for paper
  7. object — to protest
  8. court — of a king
  9. object — a thing
  10. charge — in control
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — for sport
  13. rash — a series
  14. charge — electricity
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. charge — a price
  19. clip — to cut
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rash — on the skin

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