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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 116 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: game · stick · present · deal · pass · cold · racket · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rock — a stone
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pass — a permit
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cold — an illness
  11. present — there
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cold — not warm
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — the time now
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. game — a match

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