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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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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: bowl · bat · cue · kid · can · deal · staff · bay

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. kid — child
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cue — a signal
  10. kid — to tease
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. can — a tin
  15. staff — employees
  16. deal — to handle
  17. staff — employees
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bay — a horse colour

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