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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 120 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: charge · rush · court · squash · nail · mouse · perch · wound

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. perch — the fish
  3. court — for sport
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. squash — to crush
  8. charge — electricity
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. court — of a king
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. charge — a price
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wound — an injury
  19. court — of law
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. charge — in control
  24. nail — for a hammer

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