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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. rush — hurry
  3. charge — in control
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. court — for sport
  8. charge — electricity
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. court — of law
  11. kick — in football
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. kid — child
  15. hand — in cards
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. charge — a price
  24. court — of a king

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