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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: kick · hand · fan · mug · straw · object · pop · charge

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — in cards
  3. charge — electricity
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pop — soda
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. charge — a price
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mug — to rob
  10. kick — in football
  11. object — a thing
  12. mug — a cup
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. object — an aim
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. charge — in control
  21. mug — a face
  22. hand — help
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. object — to protest

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