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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bat — the animal
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. spell — letters
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. chest — a box
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lean — to bend
  20. fall — the season
  21. lean — thin
  22. swing — music
  23. pass — a permit
  24. chest — of your body

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