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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 116 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: ball · deal · straw · bank · bat · nail · kid · cap

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cap — a hat
  5. deal — to handle
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bank — of a river
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cap — a lid
  13. kid — to tease
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cap — of ice
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bank — for money
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bank — for money
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. kid — child
  24. nail — for a hammer

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