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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. staff — employees
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. charge — electricity
  5. spell — magic
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wound — an injury
  8. charge — a price
  9. shower — rain
  10. board — to get on
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spell — a short time
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. staff — a stick
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. staff — employees
  22. board — a committee
  23. charge — in control
  24. spell — letters

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