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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bat — the animal
  3. charge — a price
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. roll — a cake
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. roll — a list
  8. lean — thin
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. charge — electricity
  12. spell — a short time
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — in cards
  17. charge — in control
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lean — to bend
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bat — in an idiom

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