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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 · swing · wake · present · perch · ball · hand · firm

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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. present — there
  2. swing — in golf
  3. firm — a company
  4. perch — the fish
  5. firm — steady
  6. ball — a dance
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. firm — decided
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. swing — music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hand — help
  14. charge — electricity
  15. wake — a trail
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. hand — in cards
  18. present — a gift
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. present — the time now
  22. charge — a price
  23. swing — to play on
  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