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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · straw · trunk · season · plane · chip · mate · deal

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bat — the animal
  15. plane — a tool
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. season — of the year
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. chip — to eat
  22. season — in sport
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mate — to breed

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