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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: charge · pound · chair · kick · rule · staff · coach · land

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. land — ground
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pound — a weight
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. staff — employees
  16. land — to come down
  17. charge — in control
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. land — a country
  20. staff — employees
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. charge — a price
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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