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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 · court · ground · rash · temple · pound · kick · game

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. rash — hasty
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. ground — the earth
  9. rash — a series
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. game — a match
  14. ground — a position
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. court — of a king
  18. pound — a weight
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. kick — a thrill

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