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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: mine · net · coach · bay · court · cabinet · charge · bat

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. net — after costs
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. charge — in control
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bat — the animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. charge — a price

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