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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · bay · ground · clip · bowl · chest · game · stick

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ground — a position
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. clip — a video
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. clip — for paper
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. chest — a box
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. ground — crushed
  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