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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: mug · game · foot · lie · spell · land · bat · stick

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mug — a face
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. land — ground
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mug — a cup
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spell — magic
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. spell — letters

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