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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · wind · bat · tear · suit · bowl · charge · spell

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. charge — a price
  6. tear — from crying
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. spell — magic
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spell — a short time
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. spell — letters
  21. suit — in cards
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. charge — in control

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