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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.

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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: race · chair · pop · snap · charge · calf · coach · wound

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. charge — a price
  4. snap — to click
  5. charge — in control
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. race — a contest
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wound — an injury
  12. race — the arms race
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chair — a leader
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. race — humankind
  24. coach — a trainer

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