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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: ground · wound · fine · perch · object · charge · kid · arm

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fine — high quality
  4. perch — the fish
  5. charge — electricity
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. charge — a price
  9. object — an aim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fine — all right
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. object — to protest
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ground — the earth
  18. object — a thing
  19. ground — crushed
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. ground — a position
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fine — a penalty

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