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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. hand — help
  12. content — happy
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bat — the animal
  16. charge — a price
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. charge — in control
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. spell — magic
  23. content — the amount
  24. bat — in an idiom

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