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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: face · dip · straw · can · charge · kid · kick · cell

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. can — to be able to
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cell — in biology
  13. face — to point toward
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. charge — in control
  16. face — to confront
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. kid — child
  20. kick — in football
  21. cell — a phone
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kid — to tease
  24. face — part of the head

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