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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wound — an injury
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. hand — help
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pit — in a race
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pit — a hole

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