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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 120 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: charge · club · saw · ball · stand · straw · wind · game

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. club — for golf
  3. game — a match
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. charge — electricity
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — to bear
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. game — wild animals
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. club — for dancing
  18. charge — in control
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. club — a group
  21. ball — a dance
  22. charge — a price
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wind — moving air

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