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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: deal · bowl · bat · club · arm · squash · mug · toast

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. club — for dancing
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. club — a group
  5. squash — the sport
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mug — a cup
  12. toast — bread
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mug — a face
  15. bat — the animal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. club — for golf
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. arm — part of the body

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