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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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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: present · charge · rest · bat · bark · game · coach · cell

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. rest — what's left
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. present — there
  8. bat — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. present — the time now
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rest — a break
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. charge — a price
  17. present — a gift
  18. charge — electricity
  19. game — a match
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cell — a phone

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