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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · wind · firm · deal · club · spell

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. firm — decided
  5. club — for dancing
  6. spell — letters
  7. deal — to handle
  8. spell — a short time
  9. firm — steady
  10. spell — magic
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. club — a group
  14. wind — moving air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. club — for golf
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. racket — a loud noise

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