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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: bulb · wake · swing · ball · bat · sharp · charge · drill

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wake — a trail
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. charge — a price
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. drill — a practice
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. swing — music
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — in control
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. drill — army training

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