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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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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: temple · swing · pitcher · court · last · deal · sharp · charge

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. court — for sport
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. swing — in golf
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. deal — to handle
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. last — finally
  11. charge — electricity
  12. last — to go on
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. charge — in control
  16. court — of law
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. charge — a price
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. court — of a king
  22. last — final
  23. swing — music
  24. sharp — clever

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