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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: calf · board · roll · dip · game · charge · bat · tear

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. charge — electricity
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. board — to get on
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. board — a committee
  10. charge — a price
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. game — wild animals
  14. tear — to rip
  15. game — a match
  16. roll — a list
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. charge — in control
  19. roll — a cake
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. dip — to sink

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