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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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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 · vault · stick · chest · bark · swing · last · coach

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bark — to shout
  5. vault — a safe
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. charge — in control
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. swing — to play on
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. swing — music
  16. last — finally
  17. chest — of your body
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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