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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. kick — a thrill
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. court — of a king
  7. saw — the tool
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. court — of law
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kick — in football
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. court — for sport
  18. roll — a cake
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. roll — a list
  21. chip — to eat
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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