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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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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 · mine · snap · season · deal · game · firm · wound

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — decided
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. hand — in cards
  11. snap — to click
  12. hand — help
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wound — an injury
  17. deal — to handle
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mine — for digging
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. game — a match
  23. season — of the year
  24. firm — a company

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