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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: wind · firm · toast · mate · fall · pitcher · deal · net

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. fall — the season
  3. firm — steady
  4. net — in sport
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mate — to breed
  9. firm — decided
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mate — a friend
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mate — a partner
  17. fall — to drop
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. toast — bread
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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