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

Word bank: dip · fork · race · chest · row · squash · hide · charge

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. charge — a price
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. row — to paddle
  5. chest — of your body
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. charge — electricity
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. race — the arms race
  14. charge — in control
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fork — in a road
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. dip — to sink
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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