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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 116 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. hand — in cards
  3. row — to paddle
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. kid — child
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bear — the animal
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fine — high quality
  13. charge — a price
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hand — help
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. charge — in control
  20. fine — all right
  21. craft — boats
  22. bear — the animal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. kid — to tease

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