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

Word bank: jam · coach · mouse · bat · charge · row · last · roll

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. row — a line
  4. roll — a list
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bat — the animal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. charge — a price
  15. last — to go on
  16. roll — a cake
  17. last — final
  18. charge — electricity
  19. row — to paddle
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. charge — in control
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. jam — a tight spot

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