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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. game — wild animals
  6. content — the amount
  7. present — there
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. present — the time now
  13. game — a match
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. capital — money
  17. content — happy
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. present — a gift
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. hand — help
  22. lie — to recline
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. capital — a city

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