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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitch — completely
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pound — a weight
  17. spring — of water
  18. staff — employees
  19. band — a music group
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. staff — employees
  23. spring — the season
  24. band — a ring

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