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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. charge — a price
  2. kid — child
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. kick — in football
  6. capital — a city
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bass — the fish
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. charge — electricity
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tube — the underground
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. capital — money
  21. bass — low music
  22. kid — to tease
  23. saw — the tool
  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