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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: roll · foot · bass · charge · date · wake · chest · squash

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bass — low music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. charge — a price
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. date — the fruit
  10. charge — in control
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. squash — to crush
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. roll — a list
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. chest — a box
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chest — of your body
  23. charge — electricity
  24. foot — part of the body

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