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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rest — what's left
  3. game — a match
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. hand — in cards
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. firm — steady
  10. game — wild animals
  11. deal — to handle
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. firm — a company
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. firm — decided
  18. deal — an agreement

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