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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: charge · game · jam · sharp · key · rush · row · bulb

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. game — wild animals
  3. charge — in control
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. key — in music
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rush — hurry
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. charge — a price
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — for a lock
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bulb — for light
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. game — a match
  20. charge — electricity
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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