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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. staff — a stick
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. bark — to shout
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. charge — electricity
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rock — a stone
  14. staff — employees
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. charge — in control
  21. staff — employees
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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