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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
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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: court · wound · straw · lash · deal · game · can · nail

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. game — a match
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. court — for sport
  7. can — to be able to
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. deal — to handle
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. court — of law
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. can — a tin
  20. game — wild animals
  21. court — of a king
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. can — a tin

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