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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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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: court · charge · bat · ground · deal · pound · date · swing

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. court — of a king
  5. swing — music
  6. bat — the animal
  7. charge — a price
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. swing — to play on
  11. court — of law
  12. pound — a weight
  13. swing — in golf
  14. charge — in control
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. charge — electricity
  20. date — the fruit
  21. ground — crushed
  22. court — for sport
  23. ground — the earth
  24. deal — to handle

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