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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 116 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: board · charge · court · hand · march · last · race · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. charge — electricity
  3. race — the arms race
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. march — music
  6. board — to get on
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. charge — a price
  12. march — the month
  13. last — to go on
  14. charge — in control
  15. march — the month
  16. race — humankind
  17. hand — in cards
  18. last — final
  19. race — a contest
  20. last — finally
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. board — a committee
  24. court — for sport

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