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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: charge · pop · net · hand · bark · cue · chest · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pop — soda
  3. bark — to shout
  4. net — for catching
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. charge — a price
  7. pop — music
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. net — after costs
  11. present — the time now
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chest — a box
  14. present — there
  15. charge — in control
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cue — a signal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. net — in sport
  22. cue — a hint
  23. hand — help
  24. cue — for pool

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