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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rash — hasty
  3. object — a thing
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. track — a song
  7. object — to protest
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. track — to keep track
  10. scale — size or range
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. scale — in music
  15. rash — a series
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. track — a path
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. object — an aim
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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