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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: deal · mark · rule · squash · game · bay · pitch · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pitch — completely
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mark — a trace
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. hand — help
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. game — wild animals
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. squash — to crush
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — government
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mark — a grade
  22. game — a match
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pitch — a sports field

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