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

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. kid — child
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bank — for money
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. deal — to handle
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rash — a series
  20. bank — for money
  21. mark — a trace
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mark — a grade

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