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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: charge · land · pit · mark · spell · race · coach · patient

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spell — letters
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. charge — a price
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mark — a grade
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. land — to come down
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spell — magic
  14. mark — a trace
  15. land — ground
  16. spell — a short time
  17. race — a contest
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. race — the arms race
  20. charge — in control
  21. pit — a hole
  22. land — a country
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. race — humankind

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