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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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Word bank
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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: game · chest · jam · lie · deal · club · roll · rush

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. game — a match
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. club — for dancing
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. club — for golf
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rush — hurry
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. club — a group
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. chest — a box
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. lie — to recline

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