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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 120 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: kid · game · bat · leaves · deal · bore · pitcher · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. firm — a company
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. kid — to tease
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. kid — child
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bore — to tire
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. deal — to handle
  15. game — a match
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bat — the animal
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. firm — decided
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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