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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. charge — electricity
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. current — of water
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. current — happening now
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. current — electric
  14. charge — in control
  15. degree — temperature
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. kid — child
  19. pitch — completely
  20. degree — from a university
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. degree — an amount
  24. charge — a price

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