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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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468
Word bank
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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. kid — child
  6. kick — in football
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. lie — to recline
  10. tear — from crying
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bore — to drill
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. tear — from crying
  24. charge — a price

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