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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. kick — in football
  3. land — ground
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. shower — rain
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. face — to confront
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. charge — a price
  12. club — for golf
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. charge — in control
  15. land — to come down
  16. club — a group
  17. kid — child
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. face — part of the head
  20. land — a country
  21. club — for dancing
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. face — to point toward

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