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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 120 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: cap · file · land · coach · net · ground · charge · ruler

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. cap — a hat
  5. ground — crushed
  6. land — a country
  7. file — a document
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. net — in sport
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. charge — a price
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. charge — in control
  14. ground — the earth
  15. file — a tool
  16. cap — of ice
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. land — to come down
  21. file — a line of people
  22. charge — electricity
  23. ground — a position
  24. cap — a lid

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