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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: saw · wind · track · court · pitcher · deal · rash · nail

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wind — moving air
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. track — to keep track
  9. deal — to handle
  10. track — a path
  11. rash — hasty
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rash — a series
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. court — of a king
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wind — moving air
  21. saw — the tool
  22. track — a song
  23. court — of law
  24. deal — a big deal

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