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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: present · wind · chip · mine · racket · toast · ruler · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wind — moving air
  3. present — the time now
  4. chip — for betting
  5. wind — moving air
  6. present — a gift
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. toast — bread
  10. rash — a series
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mine — for digging
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. present — there
  24. chip — to eat

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