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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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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  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. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rest — a break
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pitch — completely
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pop — to visit
  16. charge — a price
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kick — in football
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  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