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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: mate · charge · kid · sharp · rash · roll · jam · row

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. sharp — clever
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. roll — a list
  6. row — a line
  7. mate — a friend
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. row — to paddle
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. kid — child
  13. charge — a price
  14. roll — a cake
  15. rash — hasty
  16. charge — in control
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. charge — electricity
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mate — to breed
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rash — a series

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