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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. hand — help
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pop — soda
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wind — moving air
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. temple — side of the head

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