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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 116 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: deal · kid · net · hand · charge · file · bowl · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lean — thin
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. file — a tool
  8. deal — to handle
  9. file — a document
  10. kid — to tease
  11. net — for catching
  12. hand — in cards
  13. net — in sport
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. net — after costs
  16. kid — child
  17. charge — in control
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. charge — a price
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. file — a line of people

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