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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hand — in cards
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. club — for golf
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bear — the animal
  12. lie — to recline
  13. hand — help
  14. chip — to eat
  15. club — a group
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. club — for dancing
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kid — to tease

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