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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. object — a thing
  3. swing — to play on
  4. object — an aim
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. swing — music
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. object — to protest
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. swing — in golf
  12. spell — a short time
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. spell — magic
  16. snap — to click
  17. bat — the animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. ruler — a monarch

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