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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.

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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: last · fine · bat · content · club · pit · deal · nail

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fine — all right
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. club — for golf
  8. pit — a hole
  9. content — happy
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. club — a group
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pit — in a race
  18. club — for dancing
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. last — final
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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