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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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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: coach · wake · cell · wave · hide · charge · chip · race

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. race — humankind
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. charge — a price
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cell — a phone
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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