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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: bay · last · cap · roll · charge · tube · coach · game

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tube — a container
  3. game — a match
  4. last — final
  5. cap — a lid
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cap — of ice
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. charge — in control
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. last — to go on
  15. charge — a price
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cap — a hat
  19. roll — a list
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. game — wild animals
  24. last — finally

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