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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: fall · fine · staff · temple · wind · racket

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. staff — employees
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wind — moving air
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. staff — employees
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fall — to drop
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fine — all right
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wind — moving air
  15. staff — a stick
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop

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