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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 120 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: court · kid · nail · can · mouse · rule · charge · file

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rule — government
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. file — a tool
  6. charge — a price
  7. rule — a law
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. court — of law
  10. kid — to tease
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. court — of a king
  13. can — to be able to
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. charge — in control
  17. file — a line of people
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. court — for sport
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. file — a document
  23. charge — electricity
  24. can — a tin

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