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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · spell · key · swing · row · hide · wound · deal

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. key — in music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. row — a line
  6. deal — to handle
  7. spell — magic
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. swing — in golf
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. key — for a lock
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. swing — music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spell — a short time
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. row — to paddle
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. key — the most important part

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