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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. charge — in control
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. charge — electricity
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mark — a grade
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. stock — goods
  13. charge — a price
  14. hand — help
  15. fall — to drop
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. dip — a sauce

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