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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. squash — the sport
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rash — a series
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. foot — a measure
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. drill — army training
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ball — a great time
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. deal — to handle
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. rash — hasty
  24. foot — the bottom

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