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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. deal — to handle
  5. roll — a cake
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. kick — in football
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. lie — to recline
  13. row — a line
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pit — a hole
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. roll — a list
  19. row — to paddle
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. plane — a tool

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