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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 120 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bass — low music
  5. season — of the year
  6. bass — the fish
  7. hand — in cards
  8. deal — to handle
  9. chest — of your body
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. chest — of your body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. present — the time now
  20. game — a match
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. season — in sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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