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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. row — a line
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stock — goods
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. tear — from crying
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stock — shares
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. row — to paddle
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. stock — a soup base

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