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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: fan · foot · sharp · rush · squash · rock · charge · wind

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rock — music
  9. charge — electricity
  10. foot — a measure
  11. squash — to crush
  12. charge — in control
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. squash — the sport
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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