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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. charge — in control
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rock — a stone
  7. spell — magic
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. object — a thing
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. spell — letters
  14. object — an aim
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. rock — music
  18. spell — a short time

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