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

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. game — a match
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. charge — a price
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. charge — in control
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. file — a tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. charge — electricity
  17. rest — what's left
  18. file — a line of people
  19. key — the most important part
  20. deal — to handle
  21. key — for a lock
  22. file — a document
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. key — in music

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