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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: straw · mouse · kid · snap · tube · charge · pitcher · rash

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. charge — in control
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. charge — a price
  10. tube — a container
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. kid — to tease
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. tube — the underground
  17. kid — child
  18. rash — a series
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rash — hasty

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