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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: charge · scale · perch · chest · capital · date · cabinet · rule

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. chest — a box
  3. rule — government
  4. scale — in music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. capital — a city
  7. charge — in control
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. date — the fruit
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. capital — money
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. charge — a price
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rule — a law
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. perch — the fish
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. scale — size or range

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