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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. season — of the year
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wound — an injury
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wound — an injury
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. band — a ring
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. band — a music group
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. charge — in control
  18. squash — the sport
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. season — in sport
  22. can — to be able to
  23. dip — to sink
  24. can — a tin

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