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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fine — high quality
  3. game — wild animals
  4. hand — help
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. game — a match
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fine — all right
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wound — past of 'wind'

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