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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: last · firm · bound · rest · clip · scale · charge · coach

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. charge — a price
  5. firm — steady
  6. clip — for paper
  7. last — final
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. rest — what's left
  11. firm — decided
  12. rest — a break
  13. scale — in music
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. firm — a company
  16. charge — electricity
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. scale — size or range
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bound — obliged
  24. charge — in control

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