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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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. mate — a friend
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mine — for digging
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mate — to breed
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. deal — to handle
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. drill — a practice
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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