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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: racket · pop · calf · straw · charge · stand · wind · snap

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. charge — electricity
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. calf — a young animal

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