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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · charge · march · fork · pop · mine · fall · cabinet

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. charge — in control
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. march — the month
  14. pop — soda
  15. charge — a price
  16. march — the month
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. march — music
  20. charge — electricity
  21. pop — music
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pop — to visit
  24. fork — a garden tool

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