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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rock — music
  15. charge — in control
  16. wake — a trail
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. charge — electricity
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. spell — letters
  24. charge — a price

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