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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: tear · charge · mug · dip · racket · swing · rock · stick

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tear — from crying
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — in control
  5. mug — a cup
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. charge — a price
  8. tear — to rip
  9. dip — to sink
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rock — a stone
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rock — music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — to rob
  24. rock — to move gently

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