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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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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: net · rule · race · coach · fork · kid · charge · bank

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. net — after costs
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. net — in sport
  6. bank — of a river
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. race — the arms race
  10. charge — in control
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. fork — in a road
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bank — for money
  17. net — for catching
  18. race — humankind
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. kid — to tease
  21. race — a contest
  22. rule — government
  23. kid — child
  24. bank — for money

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