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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 124 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. charge — a price
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. fine — all right
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. row — to paddle
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. mine — for digging
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. file — a document
  17. current — happening now
  18. file — a line of people
  19. current — of water
  20. row — a line
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. current — electric
  23. file — a tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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