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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: mark · bat · drill · hide · club · deal · season · ground

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. club — a group
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mark — a grade
  9. season — in sport
  10. ground — a position
  11. season — of the year
  12. mark — a trace
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ground — the earth
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. drill — a practice
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. club — for golf

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