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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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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: mate · wind · arm · bat · object · coach · charge · cell

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wind — moving air
  4. object — a thing
  5. mate — a friend
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. charge — in control
  11. bat — the animal
  12. object — to protest
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. object — an aim
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cell — in biology
  18. charge — a price
  19. cell — a phone
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mate — a partner
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bat — for baseball

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