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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
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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: cold · rash · rule · chest · coach · bat · mouse · charge

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. charge — in control
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. charge — a price
  6. rule — government
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chest — a box
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. charge — electricity
  19. rash — a series
  20. rule — a law
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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