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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. spell — magic
  3. mark — a trace
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. last — final
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. ball — a great time
  10. spell — letters
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. charge — a price
  17. last — finally
  18. mark — a grade
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pit — in a race
  21. ball — a dance
  22. kid — child
  23. charge — in control
  24. last — to go on

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