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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: game · wind · rash · swing · track · squash · suit · deal

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. squash — the sport
  3. game — wild animals
  4. track — a song
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. deal — to handle
  8. game — a match
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. suit — to fit
  13. swing — in golf
  14. track — to keep track
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. track — a path
  18. swing — music
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — in cards
  21. wind — moving air
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. swing — to play on

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