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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mate — a friend
  5. hand — help
  6. deal — to handle
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mate — a partner
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. ball — a dance
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ball — a great time
  23. mate — to breed
  24. leaves — lets stay

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