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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 116 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mate — a partner
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kid — to tease
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cap — a hat
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. deal — to handle
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mate — to breed
  17. kid — child
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mate — a friend
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cap — a lid

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