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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: hand · charge · lash · chest · game · wake · squash · can

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. hand — in cards
  5. squash — to crush
  6. charge — a price
  7. squash — the sport
  8. chest — of your body
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. can — to be able to
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. game — a match
  19. hand — help
  20. charge — electricity
  21. game — wild animals
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chest — a box

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