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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: swing · charge · object · fall · mine · game · court · fine

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fine — all right
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. court — of law
  6. charge — a price
  7. object — to protest
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fall — to drop
  11. swing — to play on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. object — a thing
  18. fall — the season
  19. charge — in control
  20. game — a match
  21. swing — music
  22. charge — electricity
  23. fine — high quality
  24. object — an aim

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