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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: charge · game · kick · date · spell · shower · mouse · mug

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. shower — to wash
  3. game — a match
  4. date — the fruit
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. kick — in football
  7. spell — letters
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mug — a cup
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mug — a face
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. spell — a short time
  14. shower — rain
  15. mug — to rob
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. charge — electricity
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. spell — magic
  23. date — on the calendar
  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