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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: deal · ball · pitcher · kid · shower · firm · mark · hand

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mark — a trace
  5. ball — a great time
  6. deal — to handle
  7. hand — in cards
  8. firm — a company
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. shower — to wash
  11. kid — to tease
  12. hand — help
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. firm — decided
  15. mark — a grade
  16. ball — a dance
  17. firm — steady
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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