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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
468
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: net · kick · swing · pitcher · chair · spring · bank · charge

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. kick — in football
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. spring — of water
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bank — of a river
  9. net — for catching
  10. swing — to play on
  11. spring — the season
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. charge — a price
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. swing — in golf
  22. net — after costs
  23. swing — music
  24. charge — in control

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