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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: roll · bat · tear · content · deal · lash · mug · mine

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. tear — to rip
  5. roll — a cake
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. mug — to rob
  11. content — happy
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. content — the amount
  23. mug — a face
  24. roll — a list

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