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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — to handle
  4. row — to paddle
  5. saw — the tool
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mate — a partner
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mate — to breed
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rash — a series
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bat — the animal
  23. row — a line
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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