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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. kid — child
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. spell — magic
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spell — letters
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. court — of a king
  22. chip — for betting
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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