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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. charge — in control
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. charge — a price
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. dip — to sink
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. chest — of your body
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. squash — the sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bowl — a dish

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