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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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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: coach · pound · charge · drill · wind · chip · ground · season

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. ground — a position
  3. charge — in control
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. charge — electricity
  8. ground — crushed
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wind — moving air
  13. charge — a price
  14. drill — army training
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pound — a weight
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chip — for betting

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