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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: tube · bat · board · saw · deal · last · row · pitcher

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. board — a committee
  13. bat — the animal
  14. row — to paddle
  15. saw — the tool
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. row — a line
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. last — final
  21. board — to get on
  22. tube — the underground
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. tube — a container

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