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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: charge · saw · capital · object · kid · suit · cue · hand

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. object — to protest
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. object — an aim
  6. charge — in control
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. suit — to fit
  10. hand — in cards
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — in cards
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. hand — help
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cue — for pool
  18. kid — child
  19. capital — money
  20. kid — to tease
  21. object — a thing
  22. cue — a signal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. capital — a city

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