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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. charge — electricity
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. content — happy
  9. wake — a trail
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. club — a group
  12. charge — in control
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. content — the amount
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. charge — a price
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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