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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: roll · straw · pitcher · charge · cell · board · saw · stick

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. roll — a list
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. charge — a price
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. roll — a cake
  10. cell — a phone
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. board — a committee
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — in biology
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. board — to get on
  24. pitcher — a jug

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