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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: roll · craft · court · kid · jam · file · perch · charge

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. kid — child
  4. file — a tool
  5. roll — a list
  6. file — a line of people
  7. charge — in control
  8. court — of a king
  9. perch — the fish
  10. charge — electricity
  11. kid — to tease
  12. charge — a price
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. roll — a cake
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. craft — a skill
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. file — a document

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