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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: wake · deal · pass · mine · bore · bat · season · pitcher

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pass — a permit
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. deal — an agreement

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