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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.

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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. present — a gift
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. charge — in control
  8. bulb — for light
  9. charge — a price
  10. present — the time now
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. present — there
  14. charge — electricity
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — for light
  18. deal — to handle
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. sharp — exactly

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