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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: leaves · court · mine · charge · suit · kick · coach · net

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. charge — a price
  3. net — for catching
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. kick — in football
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. suit — in cards
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. court — of law
  12. net — in sport
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. suit — to fit
  15. court — for sport
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. charge — in control
  19. court — of a king
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. suit — clothes
  22. net — after costs
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. charge — electricity

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