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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. hand — in cards
  3. game — a match
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. chip — to eat
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. net — after costs
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. chip — for betting
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wound — an injury

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