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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: rush · game · dip · hand · date · object · deal · bay

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. game — wild animals
  6. object — a thing
  7. deal — to handle
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. object — to protest
  11. hand — help
  12. object — an aim
  13. date — the fruit
  14. rush — hurry
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. game — a match
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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