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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: wake · trunk · pitcher · safe · kid · game · bat · charge

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. kid — to tease
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. charge — in control
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. kid — child
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. charge — a price
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bat — the animal
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. safe — out of danger

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