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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. shower — rain
  8. squash — the sport
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. charge — a price
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. row — a line
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. charge — in control
  24. row — to paddle

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