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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.

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: kid · net · foot · coach · charge · bat · craft · squash

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. craft — boats
  3. net — after costs
  4. kid — child
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. net — in sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. net — for catching
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. squash — the sport
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. charge — in control

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