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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. land — to come down
  4. squash — the sport
  5. charge — electricity
  6. land — ground
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. charge — a price
  12. squash — to crush
  13. plane — a tool
  14. land — a country
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. mark — a trace
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. stand — to bear
  21. charge — in control
  22. hand — in cards
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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