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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. charge — electricity
  3. band — a music group
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. kid — child
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. band — a ring
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — in control
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. face — to confront
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. face — to point toward
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. face — part of the head
  24. fan — a supporter

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