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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. charge — a price
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wake — a trail
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. charge — in control
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. club — for dancing
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kid — child
  14. rash — hasty
  15. club — for golf
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. club — a group
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rash — a series
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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