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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: ground · fall · race · spell · charge · calf · coach · cap

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cap — of ice
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. cap — a hat
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. race — a contest
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cap — a lid
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — a short time
  14. race — the arms race
  15. spell — letters
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fall — the season
  18. race — humankind
  19. charge — in control
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. charge — electricity
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spell — magic

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