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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: deal · mate · march · racket · wind · face

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. march — the month
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. march — the month
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wind — moving air
  14. face — to confront
  15. deal — to handle
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mate — a friend
  18. march — music

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