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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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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: hide · bat · ball · rash · charge · fork · current · coach

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. current — happening now
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rash — hasty
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. current — of water
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. charge — in control
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fork — in a road
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. current — electric
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rash — a series
  23. ball — a round shape
  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