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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. swing — music
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. row — to paddle
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cell — a phone
  17. plane — a tool
  18. cell — in biology
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. charge — in control
  22. swing — to play on
  23. kick — in football
  24. row — a line

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