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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: rule · stand · date · swing · charge · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. charge — a price
  3. rule — government
  4. swing — in golf
  5. stand — to bear
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rule — a law
  10. charge — in control
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. charge — electricity
  13. swing — music
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rule — to rule out

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