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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 120 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: chest · board · wake · coach · ball · swing · band · charge

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. swing — in golf
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. charge — a price
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wake — a trail
  10. charge — in control
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. board — a committee
  13. chest — of your body
  14. charge — electricity
  15. band — a ring
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. chest — of your body
  19. band — a music group
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chest — a box
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. board — to get on
  24. swing — music

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