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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — child
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. kid — to tease
  24. sharp — with an edge

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