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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mark — a trace
  3. drill — army training
  4. kick — in football
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rash — a series
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mark — a grade
  12. hand — help
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cold — an illness
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rash — hasty
  24. drill — a practice

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