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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bound — tied together
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. game — wild animals
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. game — a match
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bound — obliged
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. hand — help
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mate — a partner

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