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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: chip · coach · bound · mug · fan · scale · safe · bat

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mug — a face
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mug — to rob
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bound — obliged
  12. scale — size or range
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chip — for betting
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mug — a cup
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bound — certain
  23. scale — in music
  24. bound — tied together

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