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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: charge · roll · swing · kick · lean · rest · ground · racket

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. ground — a position
  5. swing — in golf
  6. charge — electricity
  7. lean — to bend
  8. swing — to play on
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. ground — the earth
  13. kick — in football
  14. lean — thin
  15. rest — a break
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. roll — a list
  18. charge — a price
  19. rest — what's left
  20. ground — crushed
  21. swing — music
  22. charge — in control
  23. rest — what's left
  24. roll — a cake

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