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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. file — a line of people
  4. chip — to eat
  5. file — a tool
  6. face — to confront
  7. key — for a lock
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — a price
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. key — in music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. swing — to play on
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. face — part of the head
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. swing — music
  21. file — a document
  22. swing — in golf
  23. charge — electricity
  24. straw — dry grass

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