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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · kick · charge · present · deal · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. 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. cold — not warm
  2. charge — electricity
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. present — there
  9. charge — a price
  10. present — a gift
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cold — an illness
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — thin
  16. kick — in football
  17. present — the time now
  18. 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