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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 · staff · bat · lie · track · mate · squash · last

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. staff — employees
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. lie — to recline
  5. mate — to breed
  6. track — a path
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mate — a partner
  10. last — to go on
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. squash — the sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. last — final
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. last — finally
  20. track — a song
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mate — a friend
  23. staff — a stick
  24. deal — a big deal

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