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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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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: net · bat · date · lie · pitcher · fine · squash · deal

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fine — high quality
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. net — after costs
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. date — the fruit
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. squash — the sport
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. net — for catching
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. net — in sport
  19. fine — all right
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. deal — to handle

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