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

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. game — wild animals
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. deal — to handle
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. sharp — clever
  15. kick — in football
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. season — of the year
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wound — an injury
  21. game — a match
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. dip — to sink

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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