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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 116 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. kick — in football
  7. kid — child
  8. lean — thin
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitch — completely
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. kid — to tease
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. court — of law
  18. bark — to shout
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. charge — in control
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. lean — to rest against

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