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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: swing · charge · sharp · shower · rock · staff · mark · date

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. shower — to wash
  3. charge — electricity
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. swing — to play on
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. charge — a price
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. swing — music
  16. charge — in control
  17. swing — in golf
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mark — a trace
  20. date — the fruit
  21. rock — music
  22. shower — rain
  23. staff — employees
  24. mark — a grade

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