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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 120 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: pit · firm · wound · ball · sharp · swing · charge · bore

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. swing — to play on
  3. firm — a company
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. ball — a dance
  8. sharp — clever
  9. swing — music
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bore — to drill
  15. charge — electricity
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. firm — steady
  18. charge — in control
  19. firm — decided
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. ball — a great time
  22. swing — in golf
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wound — an injury

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