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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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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: fall · straw · cap · jam · charge · hand · wave · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. hand — in cards
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cap — of ice
  15. hand — help
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. fall — the season
  18. cap — a hat
  19. charge — electricity
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cap — a lid
  24. straw — dry grass

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