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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. 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. deal — an agreement
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. deal — to handle
  17. game — wild animals
  18. 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