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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bat — the animal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rush — hurry
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. mine — for digging
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. board — a committee
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. stand — to bear
  23. toast — bread
  24. deal — to handle

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