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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: capital · pit · chair · mark · charge · pop · chip · wind

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. charge — a price
  3. capital — a city
  4. pit — a hole
  5. chip — to eat
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pop — music
  8. chip — for betting
  9. pop — soda
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. mark — a grade
  16. capital — money
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. charge — electricity
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. charge — in control
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mark — a trace

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