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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. face — to point toward
  8. charge — in control
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. charge — a price
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pitch — completely
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. snap — to click
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. straw — a straw man

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