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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. game — a match
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. fine — all right
  6. rash — hasty
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. net — in sport
  9. present — a gift
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rash — a series
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. deal — to handle
  19. board — to get on
  20. present — there
  21. wind — moving air
  22. present — the time now
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. game — wild animals

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