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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 116 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: stand · spell · charge · lash · race · stick · snap · straw

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. spell — a short time
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. charge — a price
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. snap — to click
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. charge — electricity
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stand — to bear
  17. race — a contest
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. race — the arms race
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. charge — in control
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. race — humankind

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