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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. fall — to drop
  6. staff — employees
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. charge — a price
  10. track — a path
  11. saw — the tool
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fall — the season
  14. dip — to sink
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. staff — a stick
  18. charge — in control
  19. staff — employees
  20. roll — a cake
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. squash — to crush
  24. saw — the tool

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