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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: cell · charge · saw · swing · rash · pop · last · bore

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. charge — in control
  3. last — final
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. swing — music
  8. rash — a series
  9. swing — in golf
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rash — hasty
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — finally
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bore — to drill
  22. charge — a price
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pop — to visit

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