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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 120 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. row — a line
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. charge — in control
  14. chest — a box
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rush — hurry
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pop — to visit
  20. drill — a practice
  21. chest — of your body
  22. drill — army training
  23. chest — of your body
  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