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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: straw · kick · cap · plane · bat · deal · bank · game

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. game — wild animals
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. bank — for money
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. game — a match
  10. bank — of a river
  11. plane — a tool
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bat — the animal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bank — for money
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. game — a kind of play

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