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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rule — a law
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hand — help
  5. cap — a lid
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wound — an injury
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. rule — government
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. file — a tool
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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