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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cue — a signal
  3. charge — a price
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. spell — letters
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. charge — in control
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. charge — electricity

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