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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: wind · wake · chip · charge · swing · court · racket · bat

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wake — a trail
  21. court — for sport
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. charge — a price

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