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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: kick · leaves · file · charge · bat · kid · pitch · object

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. kid — child
  4. pitch — completely
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bat — the animal
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. file — a document
  9. charge — in control
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. object — to protest
  13. charge — electricity
  14. object — a thing
  15. file — a tool
  16. object — an aim
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. charge — a price
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. leaves — of a tree

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