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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: charge · perch · capital · straw · bass · present · race · board

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. board — a committee
  4. perch — the fish
  5. capital — money
  6. bass — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. race — humankind
  10. present — the time now
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bass — low music
  13. board — to get on
  14. charge — a price
  15. present — there
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. race — a contest
  19. capital — a city
  20. charge — in control
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. present — a gift
  24. race — the arms race

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