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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitch — completely
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. capital — a city
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. capital — money
  20. kid — child
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. hand — help
  24. deal — an agreement

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