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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: wave · key · last · bowl · swing · charge · file · cell

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. key — for a lock
  4. last — final
  5. charge — a price
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. file — a line of people
  9. last — finally
  10. swing — music
  11. file — a document
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. charge — in control
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. key — in music
  19. cell — a phone
  20. last — to go on
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. key — the most important part
  24. file — a tool

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