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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 120 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: safe · cold · capital · net · coach · charge · bulb · clip

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. capital — a city
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. charge — electricity
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. charge — a price
  10. net — for catching
  11. capital — money
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cold — an illness
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cold — not warm
  18. net — after costs
  19. charge — in control
  20. bulb — for light
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. clip — a video

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