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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: game · net · spell · saw · charge · dip · land · bat

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. dip — to sink
  3. saw — the tool
  4. land — a country
  5. bat — the animal
  6. charge — a price
  7. land — ground
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. land — to come down
  10. charge — electricity
  11. saw — the tool
  12. net — for catching
  13. charge — in control
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. game — wild animals
  18. spell — magic
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. game — a match
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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