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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: racket · track · wind · date · deal · current · bound · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bound — tied together
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cold — an illness
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. track — to keep track
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bound — certain
  12. current — happening now
  13. deal — to handle
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wind — moving air
  16. current — electric
  17. track — a path
  18. cold — not warm
  19. track — a song
  20. current — of water
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bound — obliged
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. date — the fruit

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