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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
468
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: staff · rock · charge · content · bear · bat · coach · kid

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. charge — a price
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bear — the animal
  9. kid — child
  10. staff — employees
  11. bear — the animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bat — the animal
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rock — music
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rock — a stone
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. staff — a stick
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. charge — in control

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