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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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Word bank
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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: present · straw · squash · content · mark · charge · cabinet · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. content — happy
  4. present — the time now
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mark — a trace
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. race — a contest
  10. charge — electricity
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. present — a gift
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. race — the arms race
  15. charge — a price
  16. content — the amount
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. charge — in control
  19. present — there
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mark — a grade
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. squash — to crush

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