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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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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: pit · charge · kid · file · kick · staff · hand · racket

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. charge — electricity
  3. staff — employees
  4. kid — child
  5. charge — in control
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. file — a tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hand — in cards
  11. kick — in football
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pit — in a race
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. charge — a price
  16. file — a document
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. hand — help
  20. staff — employees
  21. file — a line of people
  22. kid — to tease
  23. staff — a stick
  24. hand — part of the body

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