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

Word bank: ground · straw · cell · charge · wind · deal

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cell — in biology
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wind — moving air
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cell — a phone
  11. charge — in control
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. charge — a price
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wind — moving air

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