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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: swing · bowl · wind · sharp · rash · straw · deal · toast

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rash — hasty
  11. swing — to play on
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. toast — bread
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. wind — to turn a key

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