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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: row · degree · land · chip · bound · deal · charge · coach

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — in control
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. deal — to handle
  9. land — to come down
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. charge — a price
  12. chip — for betting
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. row — to paddle
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. row — a line
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bound — certain

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