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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.

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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: stand · bat · shower · mine · safe · coach · game · charge

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. game — a match
  12. shower — rain
  13. charge — in control
  14. bat — the animal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. shower — to wash
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stand — to bear
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. safe — a strongbox

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