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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — in control
  4. bore — to tire
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. charge — a price
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bore — to drill
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kid — child
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. hand — help
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. kick — in football
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. band — a music group
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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