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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · capital · rush · season · cell · spring · key · hide

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. key — for a lock
  4. spring — of water
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cell — a phone
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — in control
  12. capital — money
  13. season — in sport
  14. spring — a coil
  15. season — of the year
  16. key — in music
  17. cell — in biology
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. spring — the season
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. season — to add flavour
  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