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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. dip — to sink
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bat — the animal
  6. spell — magic
  7. rush — hurry
  8. game — a match
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. squash — the sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. charge — a price
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. charge — electricity
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. charge — in control
  24. nail — on a finger

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