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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. present — a gift
  6. squash — the sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. present — there
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. present — the time now
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. charge — in control
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. squash — to crush
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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