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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bass — low music
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wind — moving air
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. staff — employees
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. bass — the fish
  14. ball — a dance
  15. staff — employees
  16. ball — a great time
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. deal — a big deal

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