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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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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: lie · toast · clip · charge · perch · race · leaves · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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 — a straw man
  2. charge — electricity
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. race — the arms race
  5. toast — bread
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. clip — a video
  11. perch — the fish
  12. lie — to recline
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. race — humankind
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. clip — to cut
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. charge — a price
  23. race — a contest
  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