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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 · foot · sharp · can · spell · ground · kick · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. charge — electricity
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. spell — magic
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. can — to be able to
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. ground — the earth
  10. charge — in control
  11. can — a tin
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. can — a tin
  14. land — to come down
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. land — ground
  20. foot — a measure
  21. charge — a price
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

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