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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: pop · wound · row · kick · pit · charge · rest · land

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. kick — in football
  7. land — a country
  8. rest — a break
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. charge — a price
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. land — ground
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pop — soda
  22. pit — in a race
  23. land — to come down
  24. row — to paddle

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