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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: swing · charge · hand · band · court · board · mug · cell

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. court — of a king
  3. hand — help
  4. swing — to play on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. charge — electricity
  8. board — a committee
  9. hand — in cards
  10. court — for sport
  11. band — a music group
  12. board — to get on
  13. cell — in biology
  14. swing — music
  15. charge — a price
  16. band — a ring
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cell — a phone
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. court — of law
  22. charge — in control
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mug — a face

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