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

Word bank: hand · club · mark · lie · bay · game · rule · wind

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wind — moving air
  5. club — for golf
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. game — a match
  11. mark — a trace
  12. hand — help
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rule — government
  17. club — for dancing
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. club — a group
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. mark — a grade
  24. rule — a law

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