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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mate — a friend
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. squash — the sport
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. squash — to crush
  9. charge — in control
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. snap — to click
  14. ground — crushed
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. charge — electricity
  17. mate — to breed
  18. object — a thing
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. charge — a price
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. object — an aim
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mate — a partner

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