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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — the sport
  3. rock — a stone
  4. squash — to crush
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ground — the earth
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. ground — a position
  10. bank — for money
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. game — a match
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bank — for money
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rock — music
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wind — moving air
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. swing — in golf
  22. game — wild animals
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bank — of a river

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