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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. band — a ring
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. band — a music group
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. present — a gift
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rock — music
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rock — a stone
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. present — the time now
  18. key — in music
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. present — there
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. deal — to handle

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