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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 116 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spring — of water
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. charge — in control
  6. spell — magic
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hand — help
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. swing — in golf
  14. charge — a price
  15. lie — to recline
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. swing — to play on
  18. charge — electricity
  19. spell — letters
  20. spring — the season
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. swing — music
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. spring — a coil

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