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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · ball · court · land · charge · band · kid · kick

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. plane — a tool
  3. court — of a king
  4. band — a music group
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. charge — in control
  7. band — a ring
  8. court — for sport
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. ball — a great time
  11. court — of law
  12. land — a country
  13. charge — a price
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. kid — child
  16. land — to come down
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kid — to tease
  19. land — ground
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. ball — a dance
  24. kick — in football

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