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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. track — to keep track
  3. hand — help
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. hand — in cards
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bank — of a river
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rock — music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — a path
  14. bank — for money
  15. rock — a stone
  16. track — a song
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rash — a series
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bank — for money

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