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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. fine — high quality
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. land — to come down
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. capital — a city
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. land — a country
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. hand — help
  18. deal — to handle
  19. season — in sport
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. land — ground

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