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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: bat · stick · last · rock · field · kid · mark · deal

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mark — a grade
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rock — a stone
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. last — finally
  14. deal — to handle
  15. last — final
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rock — music
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mark — a trace
  23. field — farmland
  24. last — to go on

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