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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spell — letters
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. charge — in control
  7. club — a group
  8. snap — to click
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. club — for golf
  13. pitch — completely
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. charge — electricity
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. deal — to handle
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. charge — a price
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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