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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cold — not warm
  4. spell — a short time
  5. charge — a price
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cap — a hat
  8. squash — to crush
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. spell — letters
  12. lean — to bend
  13. row — a line
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. squash — the sport
  16. spell — magic
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wake — a trail
  21. lean — thin
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wake — before a funeral

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