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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: charge · mouse · mine · sharp · track · kick · spell · straw

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. charge — a price
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. kick — in football
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. track — a song
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. spell — a short time
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. charge — in control
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. spell — magic
  24. sharp — clever

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