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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: firm · net · spell · charge · coach · scale · cell · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. firm — decided
  3. charge — electricity
  4. spell — magic
  5. scale — in music
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. net — in sport
  8. scale — size or range
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. charge — in control
  15. squash — the sport
  16. cell — a phone
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. cell — in biology
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spell — letters
  21. firm — a company
  22. spell — a short time
  23. firm — steady
  24. charge — a price

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