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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: squash · coach · chair · cell · pass · scale · wake · charge

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. scale — in music
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. charge — a price
  7. cell — in biology
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. scale — size or range
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pass — a permit
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — electricity
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. chair — to sit on

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