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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 116 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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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: cabinet · row · cue · spell · bat · saw · deal · last

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. cue — a hint
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spell — magic
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. last — finally
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bat — the animal
  14. last — final
  15. row — a line
  16. spell — letters
  17. saw — the tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cue — a signal
  20. last — to go on
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cue — for pool

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