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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: cold · perch · kid · charge · ground · chip · pitcher · wave

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ground — crushed
  5. charge — in control
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cold — not warm
  8. perch — the fish
  9. ground — the earth
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. charge — electricity
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cold — an illness
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. charge — a price
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. ground — a position
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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