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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: deal · calf · present · roll · chair · staff · fall · bat

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. present — a gift
  2. deal — to handle
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bat — the animal
  7. fall — the season
  8. staff — employees
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. roll — a cake
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. staff — a stick
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. chair — a leader
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. staff — employees
  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