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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pop — music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fine — high quality
  12. deal — to handle
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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