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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. spell — a short time
  3. staff — employees
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. date — the fruit
  6. charge — electricity
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. charge — a price
  10. row — a line
  11. spell — magic
  12. dip — to sink
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. staff — employees
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. spell — letters
  20. row — to paddle
  21. charge — in control
  22. staff — a stick
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. date — on the calendar

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