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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. present — the time now
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stock — shares
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. plane — a tool
  8. fall — the season
  9. present — a gift
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stock — goods
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. deal — to handle
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. present — there
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fall — to drop
  24. deal — an agreement

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