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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. key — in music
  7. row — a line
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mate — a partner
  11. deal — to handle
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mate — a friend
  14. snap — to click
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. charge — in control
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. key — for a lock
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mate — to breed

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