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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: chair · saw · squash · straw · charge · fork · file · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. squash — to crush
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. charge — electricity
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. charge — in control
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. file — a line of people
  16. charge — a price
  17. ball — a dance
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. file — a tool
  21. squash — the sport
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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