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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bound — certain
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. lie — to recline
  6. club — for golf
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. hand — help
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bat — the animal
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bound — obliged
  20. club — a group
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. deal — to handle

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