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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 120 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: bound · mug · coach · tear · mark · charge · bat · cell

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bound — certain
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mug — a face
  8. mark — a grade
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bound — obliged
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mark — a trace
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bat — the animal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bat — in an idiom

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