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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: fine · kid · wound · tube · pitcher · charge · season · game

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. charge — in control
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fine — all right
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. season — of the year
  9. charge — electricity
  10. tube — a container
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. tube — the underground
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. season — in sport
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. kid — to tease
  22. charge — a price
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. game — a kind of play

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