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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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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: dip · bay · charge · kick · date · kid · shower · press

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. dip — to sink
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. charge — a price
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kid — to tease
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. press — to push
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. shower — rain
  17. press — newspapers
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. date — the fruit
  21. charge — in control
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. press — a publisher
  24. kid — child

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