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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 120 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: pass · game · kid · deal · temple · fan · swing · pound

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. kid — child
  3. pass — a permit
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. game — a match
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. kid — to tease
  14. swing — music
  15. pound — a weight
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. deal — to handle
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. swing — to play on

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