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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. rash — a series
  13. scale — in music
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pass — a permit
  17. capital — money
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. scale — size or range
  21. capital — a city
  22. wind — moving air
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pass — to succeed

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