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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.

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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. staff — a stick
  3. charge — a price
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. swing — to play on
  6. staff — employees
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. swing — in golf
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. charge — in control
  21. game — a match
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. staff — employees

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