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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: fan · deal · bat · nail · leaves · court · pound · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pound — a weight
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. court — of a king
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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