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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · staff · stick · ball · wind · mate · last · track

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. game — a match
  3. staff — employees
  4. mate — a partner
  5. staff — a stick
  6. track — a song
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mate — a friend
  9. last — finally
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mate — to breed
  12. ball — a great time
  13. last — to go on
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — wild animals
  16. last — final
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wind — moving air

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