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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. face — to confront
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — electricity
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. root — of a word
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. root — the cause
  17. charge — in control
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. face — to point toward
  21. charge — a price
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fall — to drop
  24. root — of a plant

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