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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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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: tube · coach · object · charge · game · bass · cell · last

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. charge — in control
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. tube — the underground
  8. last — final
  9. bass — the fish
  10. object — to protest
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. game — a match
  13. charge — electricity
  14. object — an aim
  15. charge — a price
  16. last — finally
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. object — a thing
  19. cell — a phone
  20. last — to go on
  21. cell — in biology
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. tube — a container
  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