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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · charge · mine · cold · wave · last · pitcher · coach

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. last — to go on
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cold — not warm
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. charge — a price
  12. last — final
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. charge — in control
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — electricity
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. cold — the Cold War

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