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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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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: pass · net · game · squash · deal · shower · stick · cue

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pass — a permit
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cue — a hint
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cue — a signal
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. game — wild animals
  12. shower — to wash
  13. net — after costs
  14. cue — for pool
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. net — for catching
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. game — a match
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. shower — rain
  23. squash — to crush
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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