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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: saw · season · straw · last · charge · clip · suit · hand

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — to fit
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. suit — clothes
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hand — in cards
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. charge — a price
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. charge — in control
  12. clip — for paper
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. season — of the year
  19. saw — the tool
  20. charge — electricity
  21. last — finally
  22. season — in sport
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. hand — help

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