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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 120 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: fork · board · pop · wound · straw · last · charge · present

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. charge — in control
  3. present — the time now
  4. charge — electricity
  5. last — final
  6. wound — an injury
  7. board — a committee
  8. pop — to visit
  9. present — a gift
  10. charge — a price
  11. wound — an injury
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pop — music
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pop — soda
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. last — finally
  21. fork — in a road
  22. last — to go on
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. present — there

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