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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: pop · saw · dip · leaves · land · deal · foot · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pop — music
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pop — soda
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pop — to visit
  11. land — ground
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. dip — to sink
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. land — a country
  19. saw — the tool
  20. land — to come down
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. foot — a measure

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