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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: wound · present · fine · capital · file · charge · rest · stick

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. charge — a price
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rest — what's left
  6. capital — a city
  7. present — there
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. fine — all right
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — money
  16. rest — a break
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. file — a document
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wound — an injury
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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