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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rule — government
  10. charge — in control
  11. drill — army training
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. swing — music
  14. drill — a practice
  15. hand — help
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bound — certain
  18. wound — an injury
  19. charge — electricity
  20. rule — a law
  21. drill — the tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bound — obliged
  24. hand — part of the body

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