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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: row · charge · lie · court · net · hide · coach · tube

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. row — a line
  3. net — after costs
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. net — for catching
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. court — of law
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. lie — to recline
  12. row — to paddle
  13. court — of a king
  14. charge — a price
  15. tube — the underground
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. net — in sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. coach — a trainer

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