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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · board · rule · racket · mine · staff · wind · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mine — for digging
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wind — moving air
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. board — a committee
  12. staff — employees
  13. charge — a price
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rule — a law
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. charge — in control
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. staff — employees
  22. board — to get on
  23. rule — government
  24. racket — for tennis

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