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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: trunk · kick · deal · sharp · track · mouse · last · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. kick — in football
  9. track — to keep track
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. last — finally
  15. track — a path
  16. last — to go on
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. track — a song
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. charge — electricity
  22. deal — to handle
  23. last — final
  24. charge — in control

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