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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. chest — a box
  7. swing — music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. swing — in golf
  11. roll — a cake
  12. swing — to play on
  13. spring — the season
  14. charge — in control
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. chest — of your body
  17. roll — a list
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. squash — to crush
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. squash — the sport
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. charge — a price

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