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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · club · straw · scale · lean · charge · snap · last

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. charge — electricity
  3. snap — to click
  4. ball — a dance
  5. club — a group
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. lean — to bend
  8. charge — in control
  9. last — final
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. club — for golf
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. scale — size or range
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. ball — a great time
  19. charge — a price
  20. last — to go on
  21. lean — thin
  22. last — finally
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. straw — a straw man

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