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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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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: kid · clip · season · straw · deal · fall · stick · charge

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. kid — to tease
  10. charge — in control
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fall — the season
  13. clip — for paper
  14. kid — child
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. charge — a price
  17. fall — to drop
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. deal — to handle
  21. charge — electricity
  22. clip — a video
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. clip — to cut

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