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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. roll — a list
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. degree — an amount
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wound — an injury
  10. swing — in golf
  11. hand — help
  12. degree — temperature
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. face — part of the head
  16. swing — to play on
  17. degree — from a university
  18. face — to point toward
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. face — to confront
  21. swing — music
  22. roll — a cake
  23. fine — all right
  24. hide — to keep secret

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