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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 · roll · ground · present · bay · game · wave · clip

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. present — a gift
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. roll — a list
  8. deal — to handle
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. clip — for paper
  12. game — a match
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. present — the time now
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. present — there
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. ground — a position
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. roll — a cake
  24. game — wild animals

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