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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. root — the cause
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. root — of a plant
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. root — of a word
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rule — government
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. hand — help
  21. rule — a law
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wound — an injury

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