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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mug — a face
  5. scale — in music
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. saw — the tool
  10. charge — in control
  11. cell — a phone
  12. kid — child
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. kick — in football
  16. mug — to rob
  17. shower — to wash
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kid — to tease
  20. shower — rain
  21. charge — electricity
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. scale — size or range

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