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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: chair · capital · charge · prune · fall · ball · lie · tube

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. charge — a price
  3. capital — a city
  4. fall — the season
  5. prune — to trim
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. tube — the underground
  8. charge — electricity
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. capital — money
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ball — a dance
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. tube — a container
  21. lie — to recline
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ball — a great time
  24. charge — in control

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