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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: lie · bat · mine · pitch · nail · wound · deal · season

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. bat — the animal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pitch — completely
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wound — an injury
  15. season — in sport
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. season — of the year
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. lie — an untruth
  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