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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: charge · season · nail · pitcher · plane · straw · roll · capital

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. capital — a city
  4. charge — a price
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. charge — electricity
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. capital — money
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. season — in sport
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. roll — a cake
  20. plane — a tool
  21. roll — a list
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. season — of the year
  24. roll — on a roll

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