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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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Word bank
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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: mate · wind · rash · pitcher · tear · chair · staff · date

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mate — to breed
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rash — hasty
  12. staff — employees
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rash — a series
  17. staff — employees
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chair — a professorship

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