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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: row · cell · rush · firm · court · bark · swing · charge

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. charge — a price
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. row — a line
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. cell — a phone
  10. firm — steady
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rush — hurry
  14. firm — decided
  15. charge — in control
  16. swing — music
  17. cell — in biology
  18. court — of law
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. charge — electricity
  21. court — of a king
  22. firm — a company
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. court — for sport

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