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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: deal · pop · pitcher · bat · mate · tube · hide · scale

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. tube — a container
  3. pop — music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bat — the animal
  7. tube — the underground
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pop — soda
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mate — to breed
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mate — a friend
  24. scale — in music

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