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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. squash — to crush
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bear — the animal
  7. last — to go on
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a document
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. file — a tool
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. squash — the sport
  19. last — finally
  20. row — a line
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. last — final
  23. row — to paddle
  24. charge — in control

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