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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · deal · hand · rock · bowl · ground · bat · squash

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. squash — to crush
  7. hand — help
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rock — music
  17. ground — a position
  18. deal — to handle
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rock — a stone

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