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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. scale — size or range
  5. squash — the sport
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. net — in sport
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. tear — from crying
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. tear — from crying
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. charge — a price
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. tear — to rip
  21. scale — in music
  22. net — after costs
  23. wake — a trail
  24. net — for catching

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