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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. game — a match
  7. wind — moving air
  8. net — for catching
  9. game — wild animals
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hand — help
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. net — in sport
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. hand — in cards
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. net — after costs
  18. suit — to fit
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. suit — in cards
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wind — moving air
  24. suit — clothes

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