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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: lean · deal · straw · march · squash · bat · sharp · game

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. march — music
  3. game — a match
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. sharp — clever
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. march — the month
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. squash — the sport
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lean — to bend
  17. march — the month
  18. bat — the animal
  19. lean — thin
  20. game — wild animals
  21. squash — to crush
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. sharp — with an edge

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