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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 · bark · mate · fall · kick · chest · suit · present

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — in control
  4. suit — to fit
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fall — the season
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. present — a gift
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bark — to shout
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — clothes
  19. chest — a box
  20. kick — in football
  21. present — the time now
  22. mate — to breed
  23. charge — electricity
  24. present — there

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