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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 · ball · game · pound · toast · stick · march · straw

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. march — the month
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. march — the month
  10. toast — bread
  11. march — music
  12. game — a match
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. game — wild animals
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. pound — a weight
  21. ball — a great time
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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