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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: deal · can · fall · swing · wind · march · game · last

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. can — a tin
  3. wind — moving air
  4. can — a tin
  5. march — the month
  6. swing — in golf
  7. march — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. can — to be able to
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. last — final
  18. march — the month
  19. game — wild animals
  20. deal — to handle
  21. game — a match
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  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