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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. kick — a thrill
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. key — in music
  6. charge — in control
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. craft — boats
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. charge — a price
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stem — to come from
  17. key — for a lock
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. charge — electricity
  21. craft — a skill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. key — the most important part
  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