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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: current · cap · coach · chip · dip · bound · toast · file

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bound — certain
  4. chip — for betting
  5. dip — to sink
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bound — obliged
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — happening now
  11. cap — of ice
  12. current — of water
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — bread
  15. cap — a hat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. current — electric
  20. file — a document
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. bound — tied together

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