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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. season — in sport
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. row — a line
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. content — happy
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. content — the amount
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. row — to paddle
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. season — of the year
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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