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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pop — to visit
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — a price
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bass — low music
  11. charge — electricity
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. game — wild animals
  14. kick — in football
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. deal — to handle
  20. game — a match
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. hand — in cards

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