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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hand — help
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. kid — child
  14. rule — a law
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rule — government
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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