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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: bat · deal · pound · mate · object · rash · fine · straw

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. deal — to handle
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rash — a series
  8. object — an aim
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fine — all right
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mate — a partner
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mate — a friend
  18. object — to protest
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. object — a thing
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mate — to breed

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