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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bat · land · spring · pound · chair · arm · spell

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. deal — to handle
  4. spell — letters
  5. land — to come down
  6. spell — a short time
  7. land — ground
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. spring — a coil
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pound — a weight
  15. spell — magic
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. land — a country
  18. bat — the animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chair — a leader
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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