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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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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: row · charge · calf · stand · kid · clip · racket · deal

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stand — to bear
  5. clip — a video
  6. charge — in control
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. deal — to handle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. clip — for paper
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. row — a line
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. charge — electricity
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. clip — to cut
  22. kid — to tease
  23. row — to paddle
  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