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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bank — for money
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pit — in a race
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bank — for money
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pit — a hole

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