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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: charge · bore · coach · press · racket · arm · hand · ball

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. charge — in control
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. hand — in cards
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. ball — a great time
  14. charge — electricity
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. hand — help
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. charge — a price
  19. bore — to drill
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bore — gave birth

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