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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 116 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: mug · ground · perch · suit · chip · pitcher · cold · charge

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. mug — a face
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mug — to rob
  5. suit — to fit
  6. ground — a position
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. charge — a price
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cold — not warm
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mug — a cup
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cold — an illness

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