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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: charge · rule · straw · bay · cold · bowl

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rule — a law
  7. charge — a price
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — government
  14. charge — in control
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bowl — a football final

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