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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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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: charge · drill · capital · deal · sharp · swing · roll · bark

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. drill — the tool
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. swing — music
  5. charge — a price
  6. swing — in golf
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. roll — a list
  9. capital — a city
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. charge — in control
  13. capital — money
  14. roll — a cake
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. deal — to handle
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. charge — electricity
  23. swing — to play on
  24. deal — a big deal

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