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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: game · mate · date · bound · fall · charge · wave · squash

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. charge — in control
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mate — a friend
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mate — to breed
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mate — a partner
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. date — the fruit
  13. game — a match
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fall — to drop
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. charge — a price
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bound — obliged
  23. game — wild animals
  24. squash — to crush

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