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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. court — for sport
  4. rash — a series
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. charge — electricity
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. content — the amount
  9. charge — in control
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. court — of a king
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. court — of law
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. charge — a price
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chip — for betting
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. content — happy
  24. rash — hasty

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