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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: firm · charge · march · object · bark · cell · coach · ball

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. firm — a company
  7. cell — in biology
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. firm — steady
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. firm — decided
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — electricity
  17. ball — a great time
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. object — a thing
  20. ball — a dance
  21. charge — a price
  22. object — to protest
  23. cell — a phone
  24. object — an aim

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