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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 · present · rash · rock · game · court · hand · suit

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. deal — to handle
  3. court — of law
  4. game — wild animals
  5. present — a gift
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. present — there
  8. game — a match
  9. hand — help
  10. suit — to fit
  11. rock — a stone
  12. hand — in cards
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. present — the time now
  17. court — of a king
  18. rash — a series
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. court — for sport
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — in cards
  24. game — a kind of play

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