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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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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: snap · kick · charge · bass · root · race · kid · perch

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. race — the arms race
  3. root — of a plant
  4. kid — child
  5. bass — the fish
  6. charge — in control
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bass — low music
  15. race — humankind
  16. root — the cause
  17. race — a contest
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. kick — in football
  20. charge — a price
  21. root — of a word
  22. perch — the fish
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kid — to tease

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