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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. content — happy
  4. rest — a break
  5. content — the amount
  6. snap — to click
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pitch — completely
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — in control
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. charge — a price
  16. rest — what's left
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. rest — what's left
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. content — videos and posts

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