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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.

Make a worksheet

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: can · squash · stand · coach · net · kid · arm · charge

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. net — after costs
  3. charge — electricity
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kid — to tease
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. charge — a price
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. squash — to crush
  11. net — for catching
  12. squash — the sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. stand — to bear
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. can — to be able to
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. net — in sport
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. charge — in control
  24. can — a tin

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