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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 120 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: rash · content · club · staff · bat · kid · deal · ball

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ball — a dance
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. staff — a stick
  8. deal — to handle
  9. rash — hasty
  10. kid — to tease
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. staff — employees
  13. content — the amount
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — child
  18. club — for golf
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. ball — a great time
  21. content — happy
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. rash — a series

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