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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. spell — a short time
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. row — to paddle
  10. spell — magic
  11. row — a line
  12. spell — letters
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. charge — in control
  15. kick — in football
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bank — for money
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. kick — with a leg

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