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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fan · race · charge · bat · swing · cue · jam · file

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. file — a tool
  3. charge — electricity
  4. swing — music
  5. race — humankind
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. charge — a price
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. file — a document
  10. race — a contest
  11. cue — a hint
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. charge — in control
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bat — the animal
  18. swing — to play on
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cue — for pool
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bat — in an idiom

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