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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: straw · game · spell · charge · cue · ground · foot · tear

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. tear — from crying
  4. foot — a measure
  5. ground — crushed
  6. spell — letters
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cue — a signal
  9. tear — to rip
  10. charge — electricity
  11. spell — magic
  12. charge — a price
  13. cue — for pool
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. ground — a position
  17. tear — from crying
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cue — a hint
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. ground — the earth
  24. charge — in control

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