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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: roll · squash · firm · toast · cold · wound · charge · cell

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. firm — decided
  3. cold — not warm
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. firm — a company
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cell — a phone
  12. roll — a cake
  13. firm — steady
  14. charge — a price
  15. wound — an injury
  16. squash — the sport
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. roll — a list
  22. charge — in control
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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