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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: coach · toast · ruler · charge · chest · cold

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. chest — of your body
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. charge — a price
  7. chest — a box
  8. charge — electricity
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. chest — of your body
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. charge — in control
  18. toast — a drink to someone

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