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

Word bank: pass · mark · cold · pound · object · fine · bat · deal

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. object — to protest
  7. cold — an illness
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. object — an aim
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mark — a grade
  12. object — a thing
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fine — all right
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pass — a permit

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