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

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. charge — a price
  3. cold — not warm
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. squash — the sport
  14. charge — in control
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cold — an illness
  17. hand — in cards
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. charge — electricity
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. dip — to sink
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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