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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. capital — money
  3. hand — help
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mate — a partner
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chip — to eat
  15. kick — in football
  16. chip — for betting
  17. mate — a friend
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. deal — to handle
  22. capital — a city
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mate — to breed

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