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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 124 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. ground — a position
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. charge — in control
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. key — for a lock
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ground — the earth
  10. tear — to rip
  11. charge — a price
  12. tear — from crying
  13. staff — a stick
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mate — to breed
  18. staff — employees
  19. key — in music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mate — a partner
  24. staff — employees

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