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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. game — wild animals
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. game — a match
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mark — a grade
  22. deal — to handle
  23. court — of law
  24. mark — a trace

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