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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wind · ball · suit · lie · hand · bat · file · bank

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. suit — to fit
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bank — for money
  10. hand — help
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. file — a document
  16. suit — clothes
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bat — the animal
  20. hand — in cards
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lie — an untruth
  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