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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. squash — to crush
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. pit — in a race
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pit — a hole
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. charge — a price
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. charge — in control
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. squash — the sport
  23. charge — electricity
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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