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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. charge — a price
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. charge — electricity
  16. row — a line
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bark — to shout
  24. trunk — of a tree

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