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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · charge · date · swing · bass · wind · file · sharp

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  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. swing — in golf
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. court — of law
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. charge — electricity
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bass — low music
  10. date — the fruit
  11. court — for sport
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. swing — music
  14. court — of a king
  15. swing — to play on
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. wind — moving air
  19. charge — in control
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bass — the fish
  23. charge — a price
  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