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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: pit · coach · charge · toast · ground · club · wound · capital

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. toast — bread
  3. club — for golf
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ground — crushed
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. charge — electricity
  9. capital — a city
  10. wound — an injury
  11. club — for dancing
  12. charge — in control
  13. capital — money
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ground — a position
  22. charge — a price
  23. club — a group
  24. pit — in a race

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