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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mate — a friend
  3. ball — a dance
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. ball — a great time
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. row — a line
  8. mate — a partner
  9. deal — to handle
  10. stand — to bear
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. kid — child
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. cue — a hint
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. kid — to tease

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