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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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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: chair · hand · lash · toast · kid · wave · charge · squash

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. kid — child
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. chair — a leader
  7. squash — to crush
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. charge — in control
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. hand — in cards
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. kid — to tease
  18. charge — a price
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. toast — bread
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. squash — the sport

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