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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. squash — the sport
  3. hand — in cards
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. spell — letters
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cap — a lid
  8. band — a music group
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. band — a ring
  12. deal — to handle
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cap — of ice
  15. last — final
  16. squash — to crush
  17. spell — magic
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. cap — a hat
  21. last — to go on
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. last — finally
  24. spell — a short time

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