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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. snap — to click
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. charge — electricity
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. charge — in control
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitch — completely
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. can — to be able to
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. can — a tin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. charge — a price

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