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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 120 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: deal · field · kid · tube · mate · lie · dip · bat

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. kid — child
  5. lie — to recline
  6. kid — to tease
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mate — a friend
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. tube — a container
  14. bat — the animal
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. field — farmland
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mate — a partner
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. lie — an untruth

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