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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: game · charge · stem · coach · rule · deal · mark · season

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. rule — a law
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. season — of the year
  9. mark — a grade
  10. game — a match
  11. season — in sport
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. charge — a price
  14. rule — government
  15. stem — to come from
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. charge — electricity
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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