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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: kid · game · pit · rule · charge · craft · chest · squash

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. chest — of your body
  3. craft — a skill
  4. charge — a price
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pit — in a race
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. game — a match
  10. craft — boats
  11. rule — government
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pit — a hole
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. charge — in control
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. kid — child
  20. chest — a box
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. game — wild animals
  23. charge — electricity
  24. chest — of your body

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