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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 120 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: object · bat · bay · charge · band · swing · game · ground

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. object — a thing
  4. ground — crushed
  5. charge — a price
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. object — an aim
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. band — a music group
  13. swing — music
  14. band — a ring
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. game — a match
  19. ground — a position
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bat — the animal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bat — for baseball

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