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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mug — a cup
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spell — a short time
  11. fall — the season
  12. bat — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cell — a phone
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mug — a face
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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