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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: toast · charge · rush · coach · wound · hand · net · rash

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. toast — bread
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. charge — in control
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rash — hasty
  16. charge — a price
  17. net — in sport
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. charge — electricity
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. net — after costs
  23. hand — help
  24. toast — the most admired

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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