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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 120 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: ball · rash · hand · rule · board · squash · straw · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. ball — a great time
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. hand — in cards
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rule — government
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — a law
  14. charge — in control
  15. hand — help
  16. board — a committee
  17. rash — a series
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rash — hasty
  22. board — to get on
  23. charge — electricity
  24. board — a flat piece

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