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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
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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 · hand · temple · file · cap · band · court · wave

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cap — a lid
  3. band — a ring
  4. court — of law
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. charge — electricity
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. charge — in control
  13. hand — help
  14. band — a music group
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cap — a hat
  19. court — of a king
  20. file — a tool
  21. court — for sport
  22. hand — in cards
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cap — of ice

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