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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cold · charge · roll · capital · club · pitch · wound · bound

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wound — an injury
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. capital — a city
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bound — certain
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. charge — a price
  14. pitch — completely
  15. charge — in control
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cold — not warm
  18. capital — money
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. cold — an illness
  24. roll — a list

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