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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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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: coach · race · stem · perch · cold · chip · charge · toast

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. perch — the fish
  3. race — a contest
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. charge — a price
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cold — not warm
  10. toast — bread
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. race — the arms race
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cold — an illness
  20. race — humankind
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. perch — for a bird

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