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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: charge · kick · can · cold · rest · bat · mine · sharp

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mine — for digging
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bat — the animal
  6. charge — in control
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. can — a tin
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. charge — a price
  13. kick — in football
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. charge — electricity
  17. rest — a break
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rest — what's left
  20. can — a tin
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cold — not warm
  24. sharp — with an edge

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