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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. charge — electricity
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. toast — bread
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. date — the fruit
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. charge — in control
  13. bat — the animal
  14. charge — a price
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wave — with your hand

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