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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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 — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bark — to shout
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. file — a line of people
  6. charge — electricity
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. charge — in control
  9. cell — a phone
  10. snap — to click
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. file — a tool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. file — a document
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. court — of a king
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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