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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. staff — a stick
  3. march — the month
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. deal — to handle
  6. march — music
  7. hand — help
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wound — an injury
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. march — the month
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. game — a match
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. game — a kind of play

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