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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: snap · pop · content · hand · charge · shower · arm · straw

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. charge — in control
  4. content — the amount
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. charge — electricity
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. content — happy
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pop — to visit
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. shower — rain
  19. pop — music
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pop — soda
  24. shower — to wash

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