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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. charge — electricity
  3. suit — to fit
  4. suit — in cards
  5. snap — to click
  6. charge — in control
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. charge — a price
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. suit — clothes
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mine — for digging

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