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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. face — to confront
  5. swing — music
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. charge — in control
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. object — an aim
  14. charge — a price
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wind — moving air
  19. object — to protest
  20. swing — in golf
  21. object — a thing
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wind — moving air
  24. squash — the sport

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