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

Word bank: pit · wound · kick · charge · march · rule

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wound — an injury
  3. march — the month
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pit — a hole
  6. charge — a price
  7. march — music
  8. rule — government
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rule — a law
  11. kick — in football
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. charge — in control
  15. march — the month
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pit — in a race

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