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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. kick — in football
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. can — a tin
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. hand — help
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. current — of water
  11. hand — in cards
  12. current — electric
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. press — a publisher
  16. can — to be able to
  17. press — to push
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. game — wild animals
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. can — a tin
  23. current — happening now
  24. game — a match

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