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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: fall · coach · ground · ruler · toast · deal · row · bat

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fall — to drop
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ground — a position
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. toast — bread
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. row — a line
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. ground — the earth

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