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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 116 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: deal · key · charge · straw · hand · bay · bowl · fall

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. hand — help
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. key — in music
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. fall — to drop
  17. charge — in control
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. hand — in cards
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. deal — to handle
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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