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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. charge — electricity
  6. face — to point toward
  7. charge — in control
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cell — in biology
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cell — a phone
  18. kid — child
  19. pop — to visit
  20. charge — a price
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kid — to tease
  24. face — to confront

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