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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. club — for golf
  4. lean — thin
  5. cue — a signal
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. charge — in control
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cue — for pool
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. charge — a price
  13. cue — a hint
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. shower — to wash
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. shower — rain
  23. club — a group
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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