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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. charge — a price
  4. spell — letters
  5. pop — soda
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pop — to visit
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. spell — magic
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pop — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bat — the animal
  17. charge — electricity
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spell — a short time
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. charge — in control
  24. deal — a big deal

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