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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. lean — thin
  4. deal — to handle
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fall — the season
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. fall — to drop
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mug — a face
  24. date — the fruit

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