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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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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: cell · mark · chip · fall · charge · drill · capital · fork

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mark — a grade
  6. drill — the tool
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. fall — to drop
  9. capital — money
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fall — the season
  12. capital — a city
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cell — in biology
  15. charge — a price
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cell — a phone
  20. drill — army training
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. chip — for betting

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