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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 116 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. file — a tool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. scale — size or range
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. charge — electricity
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. charge — a price
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. game — a match
  17. file — a document
  18. kick — in football
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. file — a line of people
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. scale — in music
  24. game — a kind of play

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