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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. charge — a price
  4. snap — to click
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. rash — a series
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bat — the animal
  11. rash — hasty
  12. board — a committee
  13. charge — in control
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. shower — rain
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. board — to get on
  23. shower — to wash
  24. charge — electricity

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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