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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. squash — the sport
  3. charge — in control
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. charge — a price
  8. lean — thin
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cell — in biology
  18. squash — to crush
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. charge — electricity
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. lean — to bend

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