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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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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: kid · key · charge · hand · rest · scale · tear · kick

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. charge — a price
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. tear — to rip
  6. key — for a lock
  7. charge — in control
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. scale — in music
  14. charge — electricity
  15. rest — what's left
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. scale — size or range
  22. hand — help
  23. rest — a break
  24. hand — in cards

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