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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: kid · face · deal · wind · racket · mate · nail · squash

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mate — a partner
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mate — to breed
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wind — moving air
  7. face — part of the head
  8. kid — child
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. squash — the sport
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mate — a friend
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. kid — to tease
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. deal — an agreement

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