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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 116 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: sharp · season · snap · deal · game · bat

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. deal — to handle
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bat — the animal
  9. sharp — clever
  10. season — in sport
  11. game — a match
  12. season — of the year
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. snap — to click
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. snap — to speak sharply

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