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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · hide · bowl · snap · squash · charge · game · bat

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bat — the animal
  4. game — a match
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. last — finally
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. squash — to crush
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. last — final
  18. charge — in control
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. game — wild animals
  22. snap — to click
  23. last — to go on
  24. charge — a price

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