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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. squash — the sport
  3. row — a line
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. land — a country
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. land — to come down
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. degree — from a university
  12. charge — a price
  13. degree — temperature
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. land — ground
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. squash — to crush

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