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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. roll — a cake
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. suit — clothes
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. saw — the tool
  21. roll — a list
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. saw — the tool

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