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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mouse · charge · game · hide · hand · clip · pit · kid

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. kid — child
  5. game — wild animals
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. clip — a video
  10. pit — a hole
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pit — in a race
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. clip — to cut
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — in control
  22. clip — for paper
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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