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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bat — the animal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. deal — to handle
  6. land — to come down
  7. mug — to rob
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. charge — in control
  10. mug — a cup
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. charge — a price
  16. mug — a face
  17. hand — in cards
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hand — help
  24. squash — to crush

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