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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. foot — a measure
  3. rule — a law
  4. wind — moving air
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. drill — a practice
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. branch — a division
  12. rule — government
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. court — of a king
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. deal — to handle
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. drill — army training
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. drill — the tool
  24. straw — dry grass

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