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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: perch · sharp · charge · land · rash · coach · file · craft

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. charge — electricity
  4. land — ground
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. land — to come down
  8. charge — a price
  9. craft — a skill
  10. file — a line of people
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. file — a tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rash — hasty
  15. perch — the fish
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rash — a series
  22. charge — in control
  23. craft — boats
  24. file — a document

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