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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 · club · mouse · ruler · spring · date · pitch · wind

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. spring — the season
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. club — a group
  5. spring — of water
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. deal — to handle
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pitch — completely
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. spring — a coil
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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