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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bound — certain
  4. game — wild animals
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bound — tied together
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wound — an injury
  9. hand — help
  10. land — a country
  11. chip — for betting
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bound — obliged
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. game — a match
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. land — to come down
  21. hand — in cards
  22. land — ground
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. hand — part of the body

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