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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 · squash · fine · row · pitcher · charge · rule · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. charge — electricity
  4. fine — all right
  5. squash — the sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. charge — in control
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rule — government
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fine — high quality
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. row — a line
  21. squash — to crush
  22. charge — a price
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rule — a law

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