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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: straw · roll · wake · court · charge · rush · band · toast

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a list
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. charge — a price
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — electricity
  9. court — of law
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. toast — bread
  14. band — a ring
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. court — of a king
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. court — for sport
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. roll — a cake
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wake — a trail

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