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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: pop · bat · kid · dip · pitcher · charge · rule · object

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — to sink
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — an aim
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rule — government
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. object — a thing
  10. rule — a law
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. charge — a price
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. charge — electricity
  18. kid — child
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. charge — in control
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pop — music
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pop — to visit

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