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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: object · charge · chest · straw · bound · fan · cue · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. charge — in control
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cue — a hint
  9. kid — child
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. object — an aim
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. object — a thing
  15. bound — certain
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. cue — for pool
  18. chest — a box
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. object — to protest
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cue — a signal

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