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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. charge — a price
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. dip — to sink
  7. charge — in control
  8. mug — to rob
  9. row — a line
  10. spell — a short time
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spell — magic
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. spell — letters
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mug — a face
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bat — the animal
  21. row — to paddle
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bat — for baseball

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