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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: staff · march · dip · swing · charge · shower · rock · cap

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to sink
  5. charge — electricity
  6. swing — music
  7. shower — to wash
  8. march — the month
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. charge — in control
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. charge — a price
  15. march — the month
  16. cap — a hat
  17. rock — a stone
  18. march — music
  19. staff — employees
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — to play on
  22. shower — rain
  23. rock — music
  24. staff — a stick

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