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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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Word bank
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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: bay · mug · board · spell · bat · hand · content · charge

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mug — a face
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. content — the amount
  9. charge — electricity
  10. content — happy
  11. mug — a cup
  12. spell — a short time
  13. board — to get on
  14. charge — in control
  15. board — a committee
  16. spell — magic
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. hand — in cards
  19. charge — a price
  20. hand — help
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mug — to rob
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. content — videos and posts

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