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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · game · shower · roll · mug · cell · charge · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. charge — a price
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cell — a phone
  5. roll — a list
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mug — to rob
  9. squash — to crush
  10. shower — to wash
  11. game — a match
  12. mug — a face
  13. game — wild animals
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. charge — electricity
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cell — in biology
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mug — a cup
  23. shower — rain
  24. charge — in control

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