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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · ball · straw · charge · deal · cell

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. charge — electricity
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. charge — in control
  11. deal — to handle
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. 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