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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: bank · bark · net · cap · rest · bat · charge · swing

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. net — after costs
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bat — the animal
  8. net — for catching
  9. bark — to shout
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. charge — in control
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rest — a break
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bank — for money
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. swing — in golf
  19. cap — of ice
  20. net — in sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cap — a lid
  23. swing — music
  24. rest — what's left

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