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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 120 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: fall · suit · mark · pop · kid · wave · bat · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. suit — clothes
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pop — music
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. kid — to tease
  10. charge — in control
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. charge — a price
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pop — soda
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — in cards
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fall — the season

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