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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 116 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
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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: content · last · straw · dip · charge · rule · stem · pitcher

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rule — a law
  3. content — the amount
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. last — final
  8. content — happy
  9. stem — to come from
  10. charge — electricity
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. last — finally
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rule — government
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. last — to go on
  19. charge — a price
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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