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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · bass · charge · wound · scale · file · kick · kid

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. kid — child
  3. file — a document
  4. bass — the fish
  5. charge — in control
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. charge — electricity
  8. kid — to tease
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kick — in football
  14. file — a tool
  15. scale — in music
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. wound — an injury

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