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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fall — the season
  3. pop — soda
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. fall — to drop
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pop — to visit
  13. charge — in control
  14. pop — music
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. squash — to crush
  19. fall — to drop
  20. charge — a price
  21. pass — a permit
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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