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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. scale — in music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. scale — size or range
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pop — soda
  14. bound — certain
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pop — music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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