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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wind — moving air
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. pass — a permit
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. spring — a coil
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spring — of water
  18. wake — a trail
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. spring — the season
  24. straw — a straw man

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