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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · deal · cabinet · bat · game · toast

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. game — wild animals
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. toast — bread
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bat — the animal

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