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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 120 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: charge · hide · fall · mouse · rush · saw · kick · kid

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. kid — child
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. saw — the tool
  8. charge — electricity
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. charge — in control
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. fall — the season
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. charge — a price
  22. kick — in football
  23. kid — to tease
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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