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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. charge — a price
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. snap — to click
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. land — a country
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. saw — the tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pitch — completely
  24. racket — for tennis

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