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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. charge — in control
  8. net — after costs
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. snap — to click
  12. net — in sport
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. net — for catching
  15. chair — a leader
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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