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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · coach · chair · shower · cabinet · field · key · net

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chair — a leader
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. net — after costs
  7. key — in music
  8. net — for catching
  9. key — the most important part
  10. charge — a price
  11. key — for a lock
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. field — farmland
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. net — in sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. charge — in control
  24. field — for sport

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