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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. game — a match
  3. club — a group
  4. game — wild animals
  5. hand — help
  6. cue — for pool
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cue — a hint
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. squash — the sport
  11. hand — in cards
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rash — a series
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cue — a signal
  21. squash — to crush
  22. club — for golf
  23. deal — to handle
  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