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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: date · craft · charge · bass · ball · kid · kick · tear

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. charge — in control
  3. ball — a dance
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. craft — boats
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. date — the fruit
  9. ball — a great time
  10. charge — electricity
  11. kid — child
  12. bass — the fish
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. kid — to tease
  16. tear — from crying
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. charge — a price
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bass — low music
  24. tear — from crying

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