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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 · charge · coach · deal · cabinet · capital · shower · cold

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cold — an illness
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. capital — a city
  11. deal — to handle
  12. capital — money
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. charge — in control
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. charge — electricity
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. chip — for betting
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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