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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 · safe · game · object · tear · row · rash · straw

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rash — hasty
  4. object — an aim
  5. game — wild animals
  6. object — to protest
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. game — a match
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. row — a line
  13. rash — a series
  14. deal — to handle
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. tear — from crying
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. row — to paddle
  22. tear — from crying
  23. object — a thing
  24. straw — dry grass

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