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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: wound · object · kid · roll · charge · court · chest · fall

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. charge — in control
  6. wound — an injury
  7. object — an aim
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. object — a thing
  11. roll — a cake
  12. court — for sport
  13. charge — electricity
  14. chest — a box
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. chest — of your body
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wound — an injury
  19. charge — a price
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. kid — child
  22. roll — a list
  23. object — to protest
  24. fall — to drop

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