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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: bat · lash · deal · drill · mark · pop · hand · game

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. drill — army training
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. game — a match
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. hand — help
  14. pop — soda
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. game — wild animals
  17. deal — to handle
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bat — the animal
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. hand — 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