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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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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: race · kid · net · fine · charge · mouse · tear · stem

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fine — all right
  6. net — after costs
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. charge — a price
  10. stem — to come from
  11. net — for catching
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. tear — to rip
  14. fine — high quality
  15. charge — electricity
  16. net — in sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. race — a contest
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. race — humankind
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. tear — from crying

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