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

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. cue — a signal
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bound — certain
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bound — tied together
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cap — a lid
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. toast — bread
  15. cue — for pool
  16. charge — a price
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bound — obliged
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. charge — in control

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