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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rule — a law
  8. hand — help
  9. charge — a price
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. board — a committee
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rule — government
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. charge — in control
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — electricity
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. board — to get on
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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