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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: hand · kick · squash · roll · rash · plane · charge · content

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. rash — a series
  3. roll — a cake
  4. kick — in football
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. roll — a list
  8. charge — a price
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hand — help
  11. rash — hasty
  12. squash — the sport
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. charge — electricity
  16. content — happy
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. hand — in cards
  20. squash — to crush
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. content — the amount
  23. charge — in control
  24. roll — on a roll

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