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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: hide · race · present · spell · mug · capital · kid · charge

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. charge — in control
  3. mug — to rob
  4. race — a contest
  5. spell — letters
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kid — child
  8. charge — electricity
  9. kid — to tease
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mug — a face
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mug — a cup
  15. charge — a price
  16. capital — money
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — humankind
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. spell — magic
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — there
  23. present — the time now
  24. capital — a city

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