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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: jam · fall · bat · game · present · deal · capital · row

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. row — to paddle
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. present — a gift
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. present — there
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fall — the season
  10. row — a line
  11. game — a match
  12. fall — to drop
  13. present — the time now
  14. capital — money
  15. bat — the animal
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. capital — a city
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. row — a quarrel

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