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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: scale · chest · stand · coach · racket · capital · perch · charge

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. capital — money
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. perch — the fish
  11. capital — a city
  12. chest — a box
  13. charge — electricity
  14. scale — size or range
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. charge — in control
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. charge — a price
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. capital — a big letter

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