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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: deal · lash · bat · straw · rule · ground · can · drill

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ground — a position
  6. deal — to handle
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. drill — a practice
  9. can — to be able to
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. drill — the tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bat — the animal
  15. ground — crushed
  16. can — a tin
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. drill — army training
  24. rule — government

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