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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: land · sharp · pitcher · staff · straw · ball · charge · snap

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a dance
  6. charge — electricity
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. charge — in control
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. staff — employees
  12. land — ground
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. snap — to click
  16. charge — a price
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. staff — employees
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. ball — a great time
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. land — a country
  23. staff — a stick
  24. land — to come down

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