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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. deal — to handle
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bat — the animal
  11. squash — to crush
  12. chest — of your body
  13. squash — the sport
  14. game — a match
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. game — wild animals
  18. chest — a box
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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