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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · deal · game · rash · charge · cabinet · track · straw

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. deal — to handle
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. charge — electricity
  6. track — a path
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rash — hasty
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cold — not warm
  17. rash — a series
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. charge — in control
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. game — a match
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. charge — a price

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