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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 124 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. deal — to handle
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hand — help
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mine — for digging
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cold — an illness
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. lie — to recline
  24. sharp — with an edge

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