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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: straw · deal · fine · lash · cold · staff · charge · court

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. charge — a price
  5. fine — all right
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cold — an illness
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. charge — in control
  11. staff — a stick
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. fine — high quality
  14. court — of law
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. staff — employees
  18. charge — electricity
  19. staff — employees
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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