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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: dip · lean · bat · date · deal · roll · game · cabinet

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. roll — a cake
  4. lean — to bend
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bat — the animal
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. game — a match
  18. deal — to handle
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. date — the fruit
  24. deal — a big deal

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