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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 · pop · race · mate · firm · toast · wind · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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 — in cards
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mate — a friend
  4. race — a contest
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. mate — to breed
  7. firm — decided
  8. toast — bread
  9. mate — a partner
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. deal — to handle
  12. firm — steady
  13. hand — help
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pop — music
  19. race — humankind
  20. pop — soda
  21. firm — a company
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pop — to visit
  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