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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: court · ruler · tube · coach · charge · foot · race · wound

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. tube — the underground
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. race — a contest
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. race — humankind
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. court — for sport
  15. foot — a measure
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. court — of a king
  18. tube — a container
  19. charge — in control
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. court — of law
  22. wound — an injury
  23. race — the arms race
  24. ruler — for measuring

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