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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. kid — child
  4. charge — a price
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. charge — in control
  11. saw — the tool
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. mate — a friend
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rush — hurry
  21. kid — to tease
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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