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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: season · straw · bore · current · scale · bat · deal · chair

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bore — to drill
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. current — happening now
  8. deal — to handle
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. scale — size or range
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. season — in sport
  15. current — electric
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bat — the animal
  18. scale — in music
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. season — of the year
  23. current — of water
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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