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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. charge — in control
  6. row — to paddle
  7. present — the time now
  8. row — a line
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. band — a music group
  14. court — for sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. band — a ring
  17. present — there
  18. charge — a price
  19. court — of a king
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. present — a gift
  24. court — of law

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