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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 · straw · field · bat · mug · swing · fork · firm

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mug — to rob
  3. swing — in golf
  4. charge — a price
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — a face
  8. field — for sport
  9. firm — decided
  10. charge — electricity
  11. swing — to play on
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bat — the animal
  15. firm — steady
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. field — a subject
  19. swing — music
  20. firm — a company
  21. field — farmland
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. charge — in control

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