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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
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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: sharp · scale · straw · hide · bat · board · root · deal

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. scale — size or range
  4. deal — to handle
  5. root — the cause
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. root — of a plant
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. root — of a word
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. scale — in music

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