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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: fall · degree · mug · squash · file · rash · racket · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mug — a cup
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mug — to rob
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rash — a series
  8. fall — the season
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. file — a line of people
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fall — to drop
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rash — hasty
  18. squash — to crush
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mug — a face
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. racket — for tennis

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