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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: saw · lie · date · squash · hand · current · mug · charge

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. hand — help
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. squash — to crush
  7. current — happening now
  8. charge — a price
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mug — to rob
  12. charge — in control
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. current — of water
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lie — to recline
  18. current — electric
  19. charge — electricity
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. squash — the sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. date — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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