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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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. pass — to succeed
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. hand — help
  6. pop — music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pop — soda
  10. deal — to handle
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. game — a match
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pop — to visit
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pass — a permit
  24. mark — a grade

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