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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stock — shares
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. stock — goods
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. deal — to handle
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. racket — for tennis

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