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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.

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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: fork · spell · straw · firm · charge · ruler · kid · pitcher

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. spell — letters
  3. charge — electricity
  4. firm — decided
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. kid — to tease
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. firm — a company
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. charge — a price
  11. fork — in a road
  12. firm — steady
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. charge — in control
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. spell — a short time
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. spell — magic

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