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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: deal · staff · ball · bat · saw · mug · ground · season

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ground — a position
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mug — a face
  8. staff — employees
  9. bat — the animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. ball — a dance
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mug — a cup
  15. staff — a stick
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ground — the earth
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mug — to rob
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — of the year

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