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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: key · kick · charge · jam · leaves · straw · field · wake

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. key — for a lock
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. charge — in control
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. key — in music
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wake — a trail
  13. field — a subject
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. key — the most important part
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. field — farmland
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. field — for sport
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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