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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: charge · mine · wound · mate · jam · swing · net · calf

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. charge — in control
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. charge — a price
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. charge — electricity
  10. net — for catching
  11. swing — to play on
  12. net — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mate — a partner
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. mate — a friend
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. mate — to breed
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. net — after costs

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