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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: bat · bound · branch · chip · mark · charge · coach · cold

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. charge — electricity
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bound — certain
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cold — an illness
  14. branch — a division
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. charge — a price
  19. mark — a grade
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bat — the animal
  22. charge — in control
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mark — to pay attention

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