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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 116 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: charge · kid · wound · bat · drill · pop · pit · bowl

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pop — to visit
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kid — child
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pit — a hole
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. drill — army training
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wound — an injury
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pop — soda
  21. charge — in control
  22. pop — music
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. charge — a price

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