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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: bound · coach · season · object · charge · last · jam · rest

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. object — a thing
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rest — what's left
  8. last — to go on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bound — tied together
  11. last — finally
  12. object — to protest
  13. last — final
  14. rest — a break
  15. charge — electricity
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. object — an aim
  18. rest — what's left
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. charge — in control
  21. season — of the year
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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