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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. charge — electricity
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. charge — in control
  12. court — of law
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. fall — the season
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. date — the fruit
  18. sharp — clever
  19. court — for sport
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. court — of a king
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cabinet — ministers

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