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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bank — of a river
  5. field — for sport
  6. race — humankind
  7. cue — a signal
  8. field — a subject
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bank — for money
  12. swing — to play on
  13. race — a contest
  14. game — a match
  15. rest — a break
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bank — for money
  18. swing — in golf
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rest — what's left
  21. field — farmland
  22. deal — to handle
  23. swing — music
  24. rest — what's left

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