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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. charge — electricity
  3. staff — a stick
  4. band — a ring
  5. rock — music
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. staff — employees
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. band — a music group
  13. charge — in control
  14. land — to come down
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rock — a stone
  19. ball — a great time
  20. staff — employees
  21. charge — a price
  22. land — a country
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. land — ground

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