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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. hand — in cards
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stock — goods
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stock — shares
  19. net — in sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. deal — to handle
  22. hand — help
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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