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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cap — of ice
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. kid — to tease
  6. charge — electricity
  7. kid — child
  8. file — a document
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. charge — a price
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fork — in a road
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cap — a lid
  15. file — a tool
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. charge — in control
  23. cap — a hat
  24. fork — a garden tool

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