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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: cabinet · net · deal · face · pitcher · bat · track · content

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. face — to confront
  7. content — the amount
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. track — a song
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. net — in sport
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. net — after costs
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. net — for catching
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. content — happy
  24. cabinet — ministers

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