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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: mine · wake · kick · object · ground · court · chest · charge

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — a thing
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. ground — a position
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ground — the earth
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wake — a trail
  13. chest — a box
  14. object — an aim
  15. court — of law
  16. charge — a price
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. court — of a king
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — electricity
  24. court — for sport

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