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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: chest · charge · coach · deal · clip · snap · bay · rush

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. snap — to click
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. chest — of your body
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. charge — electricity
  8. rush — hurry
  9. charge — a price
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. charge — in control
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. clip — to cut
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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