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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: mine · swing · content · march · clip · charge · stand · kick

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mine — for digging
  3. march — the month
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. march — the month
  9. clip — to cut
  10. charge — a price
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stand — to bear
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. content — happy
  18. swing — to play on
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. charge — in control
  21. swing — in golf
  22. march — music
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. kick — a thrill

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