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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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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: date · suit · charge · can · straw · stock · arm · chest

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. charge — in control
  3. suit — in cards
  4. can — to be able to
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. suit — clothes
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. charge — a price
  9. date — the fruit
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stock — shares
  14. chest — a box
  15. can — a tin
  16. charge — electricity
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. chest — of your body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. suit — to fit
  21. stock — goods
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. can — a tin

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