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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. squash — to crush
  6. scale — size or range
  7. season — in sport
  8. squash — the sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — to protest
  12. charge — in control
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hand — help
  16. charge — a price
  17. season — of the year
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. object — a thing
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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