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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. charge — a price
  5. present — the time now
  6. clip — to cut
  7. band — a music group
  8. ball — a great time
  9. band — a ring
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. present — there
  13. fall — the season
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fall — to drop
  17. charge — electricity
  18. deal — to handle
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fall — to drop
  23. present — a gift
  24. ball — a dance

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