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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: ball · bat · pop · kid · deal · chair · degree · safe

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. degree — temperature
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. degree — an amount
  11. kid — to tease
  12. chair — a leader
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ball — a great time
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pop — music
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. kid — child
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. ball — a dance

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