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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wound — an injury
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pop — soda
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pop — music
  7. fine — all right
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. kid — child
  11. pop — to visit
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. kid — to tease
  22. hand — help
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. hand — part of the body

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