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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rash — hasty
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a match
  8. staff — employees
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. staff — a stick
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bore — to tire
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. deal — to handle
  20. band — a ring
  21. staff — employees
  22. rash — a series
  23. band — a music group
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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